Hot Off The Press! The Latest Television News and Info [Text View] - Page 72

fredfa

11-10-06, 01:46 PM

TV Q&A
Ask Matt
(from the Ask Matt column at TVGuide.com
By Matt Roush TVGuide.com TV Critic Nov. 10, 2006

Question: Don't get me wrong, I love Aaron Sorkin. Even bad Sorkin is better than a lot of the crap on TV these days. But while I like Studio 60, I don't love it. I find it interesting that people are always comparing it to The West Wing, when the more logical comparison is to Sports Night. I loved Sports Night, which was also about the behind-the-scenes happenings of a TV show. Any thoughts on why that concept worked so well on Sports Night, but not so well on Studio 60?— Robin

Matt Roush: First, keep in mind that Sports Night wasn't a ratings success, either. (I have bittersweet memories of penning TV Guide's "Best Show You're Not Watching" cover story on the show during its second, and regrettably final, season.) But you make a great point. In retrospect, Sports Night does seem to be more satisfying week to week than Studio 60 is turning out to be. Part of it, I think, has to do with the fact that the Sports Night characters were underdogs, working for a struggling cable sports network, and you quickly came to care deeply about these characters. They didn't act like top dogs because they weren't. Whereas on Studio 60, we're dealing with a show that's an institution and the characters are much higher-profile: an award-winning writer, glamorous stars who get quoted all over the media, high-powered execs, all of whom act like they're the center of the media universe. This smugness and self-importance can be a bit of a turnoff, even when the show itself is entertaining. I also feel more distance from these characters. With the exception of Matt and Harriet's turbulent on-and-off relationship, I don't feel I know any of them very well. That failing is especially notable in the Bradley Whitford character, Danny. We've known from the pilot that he has a drug problem. How long are they going to wait to give us some insights into it? A far cry from the almost instantaneous way we got to know Josh so well on The West Wing. For Studio 60 truly to work, it probably needs to focus less on the show versus the world (and the Christian right) and more on the people putting on the show.

Here's a different angle, from Natalie: "Regarding Studio 60 and 30 Rock: Would you agree that you can make a comedy about a comedy show, a drama about a drama show and a comedy about a drama show, but you just can't make a drama about a comedy show? (Makes your head hurt, doesn't it?)"

Honestly, you have no idea how much my head hurts. During a sweeps month, I often feel it's about to explode. But I guess my answer here is that there should be no rules where these shows-about-shows are concerned. The main goal should be to get you to care about the characters and believe in what they're doing. On that count, Studio 60 is lately coming up short in both arenas.

Question: I have an issue with Grey's Anatomy that has been bugging me for some time, but the preview for this week's episode really put me over the edge. Must every guy who steps foot into Seattle Grace hospital hit on Meredith? Can't we just have one episode where she does not get hit on by anyone? So far, we have had McDreamy, George, McVet, McSteamy, the bar guy who wound up in Seattle Grace with a "problem" the next day, and the countless patients who have told her she is pretty. Seriously?! The McDreamy vs McVet battle for Meredith was just childish and pathetic. Luckily that is now settled, but in the preview, we have McSteamy after her again. Seriously?! In my opinion, if any two women on the show should constantly get hit on, it should be Izzie and Addison, not Meredith. I can't be the only woman whose self-esteem gets temporarily shot down every time I see someone gaze at her longingly or hit her with a pickup line. Seriously!— Sarah

Matt Roush: Thanks for giving me a good laugh. Seriously! I adore the love-hate feelings so many people have for Meredith. She's one of my all-time fave lead characters precisely because she's such a maddening mess, and because she drives so many people crazy. (Kind of like a toned-down Ally McBeal, and almost as polarizing.) It probably is a stretch that Meredith would see more action than Izzie, but this is her show — and her anatomy, so to speak. Call me crazy, but I find her endearing. And seriously, you have every right to be annoyed, as long as you don't let it get in the way of your enjoyment. That wouldn't be cool.

Question: While I appreciate what you said in your Dispatch on Brothers & Sisters, I have to say that you and your colleagues at TV Guide are the reason I am not watching the show. It wasn't three months ago that you and other critics were underestimating B&S and reporting on the multiple rewrites, recasts and general chaos on the set. (You couldn't even review the show because they hadn't finished the first episode only a few weeks before it was supposed to air). After having been burned by the networks in the past with cancellations of shows I enjoyed, I felt this show was doomed from the start. Now everyone is jumping on the bandwagon. It's not that I take your word as law, but I trust that it is your job to have a better understanding of the entertainment industry than I do. Without firsthand knowledge or word of mouth, who else do we turn to if not the critics?— Amy

Matt Roush: To be fair, I was able to review the revised pilot for the show just in time for its premiere. My lead: "You can't always believe the buzz." Once I actually saw the show, my initial response was ambivalent. It was neither disaster nor triumph. Though very positive about the cast, I wondered if it was going to take itself too seriously and be too mopey to work as a companion to Desperate Housewives. It took the show a few weeks, but now it's clicking just fine. It's not a great show, but it's becoming an enjoyable one. This is what a first season is often all about: a show finding its voice. Every step of the way, we've been as honest as possible with readers. The buzz on the original pilot was not good. The impression the show gave at summer press tour was not promising. We were flying in the dark at that point and admitted as much.

But the thing to keep in mind about the job of covering television (and consuming such coverage) is that it's always a work in progress. I'm not in the business of giving false hope, and I'm a washout when it comes to predicting the future. But I think my reporting and commentary on Brothers & Sisters has all along been open-minded. Once the show found its legs, I let my opinion be known. It's not too late to come aboard this show, believe me. You'll figure out the relationships soon enough. It isn't Tolstoy. What it is, is a keeper.

Question: What do you think about The O.C's meager ratings? People are blaming it on the competition of the big Thursday-night showdown, but I think it's the fault of Fox's extremely aggressive marketing campaign. They sent out the first four episodes to anybody who's a nobody: fan-forum moderators, fansite maintainers, bloggers. It's ended up on eBay, and fans have shared it all over the 'Net. Most people who were interested in it had already seen it. So why watch it again when they could be watching something new? Then there's the fact that the last two seasons have been way below average, to say the least. Season 1 was fantastic, but seasons 2 and 3 focused on the two-bit characters while the main characters became background fodder. Josh Schwartz may have rectified this and refocused the show back to Ryan and the Cohens, but it's too little too late. I'm bitter about the time I wasted on the last two years, and surely in a few episodes it'll return to the norm and become all about Summer, Taylor and Kaitlin again. Ugh. Do you really think swapping around the days and airing double episodes is going to change anything? Should they just let the dying horse be?— Erin

Matt Roush: I wasn't shy about my dour opinion of the show in my recent review. I was amazed to realize The O.C. is only four seasons old. It looks and feels a lot creakier. Watching the four-pack of new episodes, I felt I'd seen it all before. But it still has loyal and enthusiastic fans, so I think Fox is wise to give it a shot on Wednesdays, especially now that Lost is vacating the premises. (I don't know how long the double run on Thursdays will last, but I've been led to believe Fox won't keep wasting the show there.) Fox may have oversaturated the market with screeners, it's true, but that still seems an awfully anecdotal way to explain the record low ratings. The real problem is that The O.C. never found its footing on Thursdays, and that may have coincided with creative doldrums. (I can't say for certain; I ditched most of last season.) If the ratings pick up on Wednesdays, I wouldn't be surprised if Fox rallies around it. It's still a pretty potent brand name, even if I saw nothing in these November episodes to convince me The O.C. was still creatively vital enough for Fox to keep it going past this season.

Question: It's fall again, and Fox is once again a failure. I sort of see the network as a homeless man, sinking into poverty every fall, getting a $100 check from his parents and blowing it all on booze over the next five months, only to find himself in deeper debt next fall. 'Til Death, Happy Hour, Standoff, Vanished and Justice are all bound to be canceled. It seems as if they fall asleep for three months and wait for American Idol and 24 to save them, while House and Prison Break are the feeding tube. They grabbed only one new serial, a bad one, and premiered several procedurals and hokey, unfunny, laugh-track sitcoms. This is the complete opposite of progress. I also question its strategy with The O.C. Are they moving it to Wednesday because they realized that they screwed over an established hit two years ago, or are they just trying to burn off the episodes faster? Getting this show's audience back should be an easy task: A show about rich teenagers with angst isn't hard to market. And though I couldn't even get through the third season, I'm now rooting for this show after its creative surge. It is honestly the highlight of my week now. — Adam C.

Matt Roush: I've already commented on The O.C.'s scheduling, which I think is probably a smart move in the short and long run. But I wouldn't argue with your statement that, of the four major networks, Fox has the least adventurous, least satisfying batch of fall series.

Only one of them (Justice) do I marginally like, and I won't exactly miss it if/when it goes. Fox has special challenges each fall season, given the built-in World Series hiccup, but this fall was especially disappointing. By the end of May, however, if Idol and 24 continue on their highs (and let's hope they do), Fox will once again be looking pretty, instead of looking pretty pathetic.

Question: How about last week's hostage-taking episode of Desperate Housewives? Pretty good, eh? Writer Joe Keenan deserves a writing nomination for making me laugh (Susan's megaphone declaration), cry (the beautifully shot dream sequences) and think (how will Lynette's life change?) all in the same hour. Brilliant stuff all the way around, and definitely the best episode since the pilot aired way back in 2004. What did you think?— Marcus D.

Matt Roush: If you read my Dispatch earlier this week, you know I feel pretty much the same. Laurie Metcalf was just amazing — funny and scary at the same time — and it was Felicity Huffman's best work since her first-season meltdown, which probably won her the Emmy. Just about everything clicked in that episode, reminding me what we loved about Desperate Housewives in the first place. Hope they can keep it up.

Question: Unless I've missed it, you have yet to opine on the new season of Battlestar Galactica. I have been anticipating this series for months and have not been disappointed. The way the show is able to convey emotions is incredible. When Adama went down to the pilot quarters and gave Starbuck and Tigh a butt whoopin', I was almost holding my breath. "You were a daughter to me, but no more. You are a malcontent and a cancer." I wouldn't want to be on Commander Adama's bad side. Edward James Olmos was magnificent: no yelling, no drama, but extremely powerful nonetheless. What do you think? — Jessica

Matt Roush: That was a great moment in a great season. I gave the show a 10 out of 10 in a roundup of "cult" series around the time the new season began. I can't give a higher rave than that. Last week's was the first episode I had to watch in real time. Sci Fi sent out the first four hours before the season began; I was blown away then, and still am now. The war allegories of occupation and collaboration involving insurgencies, secret tribunals and torture were as riveting as they were topical. And I'm almost as happy to see the dramatic fallout as I am to see Apollo back in fighting shape. (The only thing I haven't liked about this current season was Jamie Bamber's comical fat suit.)

Question: Just one more comment about the current lack of opening credits and theme songs: I was watching Numbers the other night, and Judd Hirsch's character sat down to watch late-night TV because "that's when the classics are on." As the scene faded, you heard the theme song from Taxi. I ask you, how are we going to get little jokes like that when today's shows have no recognizable tunes?— Claire

Matt Roush: And then there was the kicker on this week's How I Met Your Mother, in which Barney, aka "Swarley," was hounded out of the bar with the Cheers theme, while credits in the original Cheers typeface came on screen. Delicious. These themes and title credits are part of what we love and treasure most about TV's heritage.

Question: What do you think about the death of Eko on Lost? I realize that the writers are trying to keep people guessing, but come on, why did they have to kill off one of their strongest characters? They brought on three new regulars last season. They took all this time to show their backstories, how they struggled on the other side of the island, how hard it was for them to fit in with the other survivors, only to have them all killed off? I realize that Ana Lucia was a hard pill to swallow; I wasn't that upset when she died. I was disappointed when they killed off Libby. Her character had barely scratched the surface.

But now Eko? To me, he was one of the most interesting people on the show. His backstory broke my heart, and he instantly became my favorite character. Even more frustrating, in the same episode in which he's killed off, they introduce two new characters who (so far anyway) don't hold a candle to Eko. Even if they did, why should we care? They'll probably be dead in a few months. Also, this death didn't seem to have the same impact as earlier ones. People were sad about Boone. People were shocked about Ana Lucia and Libby. People are just mad and confused about Eko. If they have to kill a character, make it one whose story line isn't going anywhere. If the writing is good, it can still be sad and shocking (like Shannon's death). I would much rather watch Eko do anything than listen to Charlie make his usual sarcastic comments in the background (Hurley can do that). Plus, wouldn't it pack more of a punch if they weren't getting rid of characters so often? Now I just come to expect it, which means I won't get fully invested in the show or its characters anymore. I just don't trust where it's headed.— Tiffany J.

Matt Roush: As always, it's damned if you do, damned if you don't where Lost is concerned. Tiffany's rant contains most of the complaints I've been fielding in my mail since Eko's death, which I accepted as I do most things that happen on this show. I plan to address Lost's hiatus and the "fall finale" in Monday's column, but I've already decided to move past this initial six-pack of episodes, which I'm thinking we'll all look back on as a bit of a letdown. I loved the opener, with its reveal about the Others' village, and I am fascinated by Elizabeth Mitchell as Juliet, one of the most intriguing additions to the show since the beginning. But I haven't enjoyed watching Jack, Kate and Sawyer stay in lockdown for so long, and an episode of Sawyer being tortured isn't my idea of fun. (As for Locke's hallucinatory trip into Twin Peaks territory, I put that episode in the category of a favorite show having a very off week. It happens.)

I thought the way Rodrigo Santoro and Kiele Sanchez were introduced was awfully clumsy, but I'm certainly not going to judge their characters until there's more of a reason to. As for the death rate of characters on shows like this (and I'll add 24 to the discussion, just because): It comes with the territory. At least Eko's story had an interesting arc and a powerful finish. I don't know about the impact on the islanders — the fact that he was so silent and remote may account for their lack of grieving — but if the character made an impression on you, dead or alive, Lost did its job. I don't blame Lost for ABC's promotions, which made it too obvious that this would be Eko's swan song. But the idea that we could or should become less invested in the characters because we assume or maybe fear that they could be killed off is pretty illogical to me. That just sounds like more fan whining, which Lost breeds like no other. Lost is an adventure series in which peril waits around every corner, especially during sweeps months. If we didn't think valuable characters could meet their maker at any moment, as we have become accustomed to seeing on 24, it would be a much lesser show.

Question: It sounds like everyone is trying to figure out what show would work best after Lost: a comedy, Six Degrees, Men in Trees, etc. Here's my two cents: Lost is an altogether different kind of show, and, at least for now, nothing may truly succeed in the time slot after it. Lost is the first of its kind in many ways. It's a cult hit that is also a mainstream hit. It has devoted and obsessive fans who watch and then immediately get online or on the phone to discuss, debate and analyze what they've just seen — so they aren't sticking around to watch anything afterward. Even the more casual fans I know who don't hit the message boards or fansites still spend some time thinking and talking about the episode with their spouse, friends, etc. Yet unlike past shows that had such followings, Lost is a ratings hit and even won the Emmy its first year out. That's why the network expects it to act as a strong lead-in for another show. But is it really fair to expect any show to come on right after Lost and not lose a huge chunk of that audience? I hope ABC doesn't try to fix what ain't broke by moving Lost. But in a perfect world, maybe it would air at 10 pm/ET and ABC could focus on putting together a lineup that Lost fans would want to watch while waiting for the main event.— Ashley

Matt Roush: Moving Lost to the end of the night to make it the Wednesday piece de resistance as opposed to the centerpiece is an interesting idea. I assume the reason for keeping it on earlier, as it was when the show first premiered at 8 pm/ET in its first season, is to accommodate younger viewers who might not be available in the 10 pm hour — although, is that even applicable anymore? Anyway, lots could happen between now and February, when Lost returns. I'll be curious to see what ABC's Wednesday lineup will look like when that happens.

http://www.tvguide.com/News-Views/Columnists/Ask-Matt/default.aspx

flint350

11-10-06, 02:12 PM

Two small suprises in these last few posts for me. First, fredfa - I'm really surprised you don't like The Nine. Not just bcz I do or others do, but it has that appeal of clever writing, hidden agendas and suprises to come without silly teasers and, most of all, a complex set of characters who interact in ever more interesting ways. I'm always left with the feeling that something surprising or innovative is right around the corner. It's a thinking man's show and you appear to generally like those. Just curious.

Second, I would not have bet any $$$ that Studio 60 would get a full season. A few more eps, yes. But this full season pickup surprised me. The last show was much better, but I thought it was too little, too late. Wrong again. :D

fredfa

11-10-06, 02:35 PM

Thanks for the (I think!) compliment, flint350.

My real problem with "The Nine" is just that I am not, in general, a fan of serials, and the first episode, while well done, just didn't spark my interest enough to add it to my list of must-see shows. In addition, I have a full roster of returning shows to attend to, as well as more than I expected of this year's new programs. I do generally like shows that are thought provoking, but there are quite a few of those thsat just don't work..for me. (Battlestar, Lost, and others). That doesn't mean I don't admire them and hope for their success, just that for me, they don't work.

That being said, I might well play catch up when the repeats start -- assuming they do.

As for "Studio 60", I always thought it probably would get renewed. NBC has more Januaruy problems than anyone else -- remember it not only has to replace its failed shows, but also fill in four hours of Sunday night programing. That daunting task was never really successfully accomplished by ABC in 35 years or trying on Monday nights, by the way.

And NBC, which I believe really wanted to keep "Medium" available for its January schedule, has already been forced to plug it in. I wouldn't at all be surprised to see "FNL" renewed, too, though perhaps with a brief hiatus until the SNF schedule ends. Once the real high school games are over on Fridays it might make a decent gamble there.

Failing to win over viewers, NBC might just have to make do with critical approval as it tries to rebuild. And, of course, with AI and 24 returning mid January, that task will become harder.

keenan

11-10-06, 02:48 PM

Personally, I don't get people who don't get 'The Nine'. ;) To me, it's easily the class of the new season (although I haven't seen FNL).
You really should give a FNL a look. My feeling about FNL is how you feel about "The Nine".

I like Nine, but I think it moving a little too slowly, we're only on the second hour of what happened in the bank. As flint350 notes though, it is well written and doesn't use cheap stunts to further the plot.

fredfa

11-10-06, 02:52 PM

I totally agree, Jim. FNL is a delight which seems to get better week by week.

keenan

11-10-06, 04:03 PM

I totally agree, Jim. FNL is a delight which seems to get better week by week.
It's intelligent with some great acting from some relative new comers, something I really like to see. I get tired of the same old actors showing up in different shows.

I would say that FNL and Heroes are probably my two favorites of the new season. Heroes is just flat out fun to watch. :)

steverobertson

11-10-06, 04:31 PM

I love the cheerleader in FNL she seems like the perfect girl LOL

RussTC3

11-10-06, 04:47 PM

I agree about FNL. What an amazing little show.

Among new shows on the season, my top three are probably Heroes, Brothers & Sisters and Friday Night Lights.

archiguy

11-10-06, 04:58 PM

There's just too much good stuff on these days. I had to do a pre-season triage, and a show about high school football just didn't make the obvious cut for me. But, darnit, it sounds like it's a much better show than it sounded. Oh, well; too late now, probably. I am watching Heroes, though, and I agree that it's a lot of fun.

fredfa

11-10-06, 05:40 PM

I have all the Heroes episodes on DVR and am looking forward to some rerun time in December for a marathon.

fredfa

11-10-06, 05:47 PM

He did little television, but his death is still worth noting….
Obit
Jack Palance 87

From Associated Press

Jack Palance, the craggy-faced menace in "Shane," "Sudden Fear" and other films who turned to comedy at 70 with his Oscar-winning self-parody in "City Slickers," died today.

Palance died of natural causes at his home in Montecito, Calif., surrounded by family, said spokesman Dick Guttman. Palance was 85 according to Associated Press records, but his family gave his age as 87.

When Palance accepted his Oscar for best supporting actor he delighted viewers of the 1992 Academy Awards by dropping to the stage and performing one-armed push-ups to demonstrate his physical prowess

http://www.latimes.com/news/obituaries/la-111006palance,0,1642997.story?coll=la-home-headlines

fredfa

11-10-06, 05:53 PM

Critic’s Notebook
The Shat, Kiefer vs. tree and more
From Maureen Ryan’s Chicago Tribune blog “The Watcher” November 10, 2006
(Note: all time are Central.)

A few news bits to tide you over until next week, when I'll post reviews of the new shows "3 lbs" and "Day Break."

• CBS is making all seven completed episodes of “Smith” (including four episodes that did not air) available online via its broadband channel, www.cbs.com/innertube. The episodes can also be downloaded via iTunes, Amazon and AOL. The network will also post a written synopsis explaining how the producers had planned to resolve the show’s ongoing plots.

• For those who’ve written in asking if there is any news, official or unofficial, regarding a full-season order for “Friday Night Lights,” I have not heard anything about that yet (same goes for “Veronica Mars”). But regarding “FNL,” NBC is expected to announce a schedule shakeup next week, and my fingers are crossed that “Lights” will get a full-season pickup then.

• The FX comedy series “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia” will return for a third season next summer, and Danny DeVito will remain part of the ensemble at the dive bar in Philly where the “Sunny” crew hangs out.

• When “24” returns Jan. 14, Jean Smart and Gregory Itzin, who memorably played a fictional First Couple last season, will be back as part of the cast. The Season 6 cast also features Powers Boothe as vice president, James Cromwell as Jack Bauer’s father, as well as D.B. Woodside (Wayne Palmer), Regina King (Sandra Palmer) and Peter MacNicol (presidential advisor Thomas Lennox). Returning players include Mary Lynn Rajskub (Chloe O’Brian), Roger Cross (Curtis Manning) and James Morrison (Bill Buchanan).

• Ardent fans of either “24” or Kiefer Sutherland may want to check out the shambling documentary “I Trust You to Kill Me,” which airs at 8 p.m. Saturday on VH1. The film follows the European tour of Rocco Deluca and the Burden, a band on Sutherland’s record label. Sutherland is the nominal tour manager of this chaotic affair, but in the course of the film he loses his money, cell phone and various other personal items, so you can imagine how smoothly the tour went. Although it’s supposed to be about the band, the film is only really interesting when Sutherland is on the screen. He comes off as earnest, introspective, genuine and a little prone to insane behavior, especially when he’s had a few drinks. Yes, in this film, you can see Sutherland attack that Christmas tree in a London hotel (his tabloid claim to fame last year), but here you’ll see the tree attack in its full context, with some sheepish explanation and commentary from the “24” star.

• Like you don't already know this: The men of Dunder Mifflin are bringing sexy back.

• As of Nov. 30, “Men in Trees” is moving to 9 p.m. Thursdays, which firms up ABC’s Thursday lineup as the most chick-friendly block of the week. “Six Degrees,” which had been airing in that spot, will allegedly come back in January, but I wouldn’t count on it.

• The Sundance Channel has made the powerful documentary “The Staircase” available via iTunes. I can’t recommend this documentary, which is about a famous author accused of killing his wife, highly enough. Trust me, once you’ve seen the first 40 minutes of this fascinating film, you’ll have to see the whole thing.

• In case you’ve been living under a rock – which, let’s face it, during sweeps can seem like an attractive option – be aware that “General Hospital’s” Luke and Laura tie the knot once more on Thursday, the 25th anniversary of their famous first nuptials.

• Also next week, the new William Shatner game show, “Show Me the Money,” has a special preview 8:30 p.m. Tuesday, before settling into its regular time slot of 7 p.m. Wednesday on Nov. 22. I tried to watch an episode that ABC sent, but the rules for the trivia contest were fairly incomprehensible (it’s more or less a mishmash of “Deal or No Deal,” “1 vs. 100” and various other prime-time game shows). To distract viewers from the general chaos, there are 13 dancing girls. And the Shat. So there’s that.

http://tempo.typepad.com/entertainment_tv/

keenan

11-10-06, 06:12 PM

Was "Men in Trees" on last Friday? I don't recall seeing it.

Davinleeds

11-10-06, 06:15 PM

I have all the Heroes episodes on DVR and am looking forward to some rerun time in December for a marathon.

You sure you'll have enough free time?

keenan

11-10-06, 06:16 PM

I agree about FNL. What an amazing little show.

Among new shows on the season, my top three are probably Heroes, Brothers & Sisters and Friday Night Lights.
Brothers and Sisters is very good, I also like Men in Trees, which is in the same sort of vein as B&S.

Haven't been close enough attention, what's the prevailing scuttlebutt on "3lbs"?

keenan

11-10-06, 06:17 PM

fredfa

11-10-06, 07:23 PM

The prevailing view as best I can tell is that is a House-esque show and while Stanley Tucci is good, he is no Hugh Laurie. But we shall see.

fredfa

11-10-06, 07:32 PM

TV Notebook
Layoffs at Dateline NBC
By John M. Higgins Broadcasting & Cable 11/10/2006

The first wave of layoffs under the NBC Universal’s belt-tightening plan started hitting NBC News with at least 17 employees losing jobs at Dateline NBC. The bulk of the cuts came in New York, with a smaller number coming from Washington, D.C. and Chicago.

In addition to the layoffs, an unspecified number of employees have volunteered for a buyout package.

NBC News officials are expected to complete the initial round of layoffs throughout the division – all of those expected for 2006 – by next week. Further reductions are coming next year.

The layoffs are part of the company’s “NBCU 2.0” plan to engineer greater efficiency in the company. The 700 employees targeted will be eliminated primarily on the broadcast TV side of the company, with the movie studio and entertainment cable networks untouched. Inside the broadcast unit, the news division will sustain the greatest damage, largely because it’s more labor-intensive than entertainment.

http://www.broadcastingcable.com/index.asp?layout=articlePrint&articleID=CA6390438

AAF

11-10-06, 07:38 PM

Fred you ought to take a bow when this 'inside baseball' thread pops a million views. It's getting close.

fredfa

11-10-06, 07:56 PM

It'll ber a while yet AAF. If only I could get all those "Lost" folks to check in every day!

fredfa

11-10-06, 08:06 PM

TV Notebook
'Dateline' lays off 17
Number does not include buyouts
By Michael Learmonth Variety.com

NEW YORK--Seventeen "Dateline" employees were issued pink slips Friday as NBC moved forward with a plan to pare hundreds of correspondents, producers and cameramen from the news division by early next year.

Sources inside NBC News said 10 "Dateline" staffers in New York were laid off, five in Washington, DC, one in Chicago and another in Burbank. The affected employees were notified by "Dateline" EP David Corvo.

That number does not include buyouts, which have been offered to dozens of employees across the company.

The restructuring, announced last month as part of the "NBC U 2.0" initiative, will eliminate several hundred jobs from the network's sprawling news division, which employs 2,000 and includes two cable networks and numerous local news staffs across the country.

As part of the initiative, New Jersey-based MSNBC is being consolidated into NBC News headquarters at 30 Rockefeller Center.

Sources say NBC execs were surprised news staffers who volunteered to take a buyout and predict that when the reductions are complete, the number of buyouts will exceed the number of layoffs.

Execs want to complete layoffs within a week to avoid having to do so close to the holiday season.

Several cameramen in the DC bureau were said to be considering buyouts, which would pay the rough equivalent of three year's salary and allow them to return as freelance employees after six months.

Other reductions in the news division are being achieved by not filling empty jobs.

Reporting expenses such as travel for correspondents have come under increased scrutiny, sources said.

"Dateline," once a five-nights-a-week series, was expected to take a significant hit during the restructuring. This season the show is airing once a week, on Saturdays, and is focusing editorially on true crime and its "To Catch a Predator" series on sexual predators.

The show's staff functions as a production unit for all NBC News shows and also produces special news programming for the network.

http://www.variety.com/article/VR1117953710.html?categoryid=1043&cs=1

fredfa

11-10-06, 08:09 PM

TV Notebook
“Justice” benched

The futon critic is reporting Fox has confirmed “Justice” will be replaced for the remainder of November sweep with “House” reruns.

“Justice” is reportedly coming back in December.

http://www.thefutoncritic.com/news.aspx?date=11/10/06&id=7235

fredfa

11-10-06, 09:12 PM

TV Notebook
Here comes trouble
Alec Baldwin has become the default real-man screen heavy. Maybe it's how he makes a despicable lout somehow ... charming
.
By Matea Gold Los Angeles Times Staff Writer November 12, 2006

These days, if a part calls for someone to play brazen, caustic or swaggering — in short, a real man's man — one actor seems to have a lock on the role.

At least that's how it appears from Alec Baldwin's near-ubiquitous presence lately portraying men like Jack Donaghy, the bombastic and preening network executive on the NBC sitcom "30 Rock."

Baldwin calls them "man of authority" characters, "something you need to do sort of unflinchingly," he said during a lunch break on the show's Queens set, as he wolfed down a plate of rice and sauteed tofu.

Suddenly, he let out a delighted yelp. "30 Rock" creator Tina Fey had stopped in the lunch room with her 13-month-old daughter, Alice, in tow. Baldwin leaped out of his chair, gushing over the child and her colorful outfit. (It was Halloween, and Alice was decked out as a peacock, the NBC mascot.) "How are you?" Baldwin cooed, his gravelly voice an octave higher than usual. "I love your costume! Do you like your costume? Do you?"

This is Alec Baldwin, tough guy? "He's more like a small-town theater professor in real life than a dirty cop," Fey, who plays the frazzled head writer of the show's fictional late-night comedy sketch program, said later. "He is this very literate guy who loves the arts and goes to plays and opera and stuff. He's cultured."

For his part, Baldwin dismisses the notion that he would resemble his on-screen persona in real life as the thinking of "uncomplicated people."

"There is some degree of artistry involved in this, hopefully, where you sit there and say, 'Well, what do I want to say? Who do I want to be?' " he said.

After a stint as a leading man in the 1990s (see: "Hunt for Red October, The"), Baldwin has most recently reemerged as a character actor who imbues the most hard-edged, loutish parts with subtlety and humor. His ability to avoid caricature while playing the likes of casino boss Shelly Kaplow in 2003's "The Cooler," a role for which he garnered an Oscar nomination, has made him more in demand than ever.

"Some people don't want to step up and fill that void," he said, explaining why these types of characters often come his way. "The role demands a certain amount of clarity, a certain amount of forcefulness, a certain amount of authority that other people can't do, quite frankly. And many of them who can do it, don't want to do it. And so people have asked me."

He's currently in theaters as a macho, profane police official in Martin Scorsese's film "The Departed" and a remote, alcoholic father in Augusten Burroughs' "Running With Scissors." Up next month: Robert De Niro's "The Good Shepherd," featuring Baldwin as a CIA operative.

Lately, however, the 48-year-old actor has been itching to try his hand at a new kind of character.

"In truth, I'd rather do 'Little House on the Prairie' and play Michael Landon's role," he said without a trace of facetiousness. "I want to do something sweet."

That doesn't mean he's looking to play Charles Ingalls, necessarily, but "something that stays with people."

"I want to play what I haven't played," he added, his clear blue eyes fixed intently on his interviewer. "One thing about my career, I've done everything: TV, movies, theater. I really feel like I've done it all on one level. You become very conscious of being duplicative."

That's why Baldwin had some apprehension about signing on to "30 Rock," his first gig as a television series regular since playing Joshua Rush on "Knots Landing" in the mid-1980s.

"That is the great concern about doing a television series, that you get trapped into playing the same thing 22 episodes times however many years the thing winds up going," he said. "You can fall into these patterns where it's all pretty treadmill, you know?"

But Baldwin, who is unsparing in his criticism of the film industry ("We are now in the fully realized age of the no-risk movie"), was willing to take a gamble on a series, in part because television's more consistent schedule would allow him fly to Los Angeles every other weekend to visit his 11-year-old daughter. (He shares custody with ex-wife Kim Basinger.)

Fey actually had Baldwin in mind when she wrote the Donaghy character for "30 Rock," a show loosely based on her experiences as a head writer for "Saturday Night Live," but didn't think she had a shot at casting him.

"At the time, I was trying to think of the most masculine actor," said Fey, who had worked with Baldwin on the late-night program during his regular hosting gigs. "He's extremely manly. I thought I would use him as writing template. I never thought we would actually get him."

Kevin Reilly, president of NBC Entertainment, said that "everybody in town was chasing Alec Baldwin."

"I think he was probably sent every script in town," he added.

In fact, Baldwin was developing his own program for FX about a "Bill Clinton-like" mayor of New York when Lorne Michaels, executive producer of "Saturday Night Live" and "30 Rock," approached him about the Donaghy part.

Michaels' involvement in the show, coupled with Fey's writing, persuaded him to take a chance on it.

"It's been a blessing," the actor said. "It's a nice job, and I work with funny people."

For Michaels, having Baldwin on board rounded out a "dream cast."

"He's just dazzling as a comedian," said the producer, who invited Baldwin back to host "Saturday Night Live" this weekend, his 13th time since 1990. (Only Steve Martin, with 14 hosting appearances, has been on more.) "He has that thing writers love most, which is precision."

"But he's also got real strength," Michaels added. "You get the sense that he's a powerful guy, and I think he's able to pour that into a character."

In person, it's easy to see why Baldwin is so often cast as the heavy. He has thickened since his early hero roles, but his body — clad in an expensive pinstripe suit for a scene on a recent afternoon — is solid and burly; his beefy hand offers a firm grip.

Still, he manages to bring a certain lightness to his physicality, largely through a wry comedic touch. In "The Departed," his character's joking bluster with fellow cops provides audiences with "welcome relief" from the movie's dark plot, said producer Graham King.

"He helps pulls them through in a film that's really intense," King said. "He's such a smart actor when it comes to tweaking a character or delivering it a certain way."

On "30 Rock," Baldwin brought with him some definitive ideas of how to flesh out Jack Donaghy.

"I didn't want them to make the character the negative value in the piece, à la Ted Baxter, the guy that's the least self-aware person in the room," he said. "I didn't want to be some male corporate pig."

"I've struggled to get them to write more where I'm like Lorne," the actor added with a chuckle, "the guy who is this extraordinarily polished, wealthy, urbane man who lives among these young men and women who just can't seem to get their heads out of the dormitory."

• • • • • • • • • • •

If you want input, he'll give it

IN the past, Baldwin's tendency to come on to a set and "rearrange the furniture," as he has put it, earned him a reputation for being somewhat difficult. But Fey said she's welcomed his input, which has even included story lines for other characters.

"It's been a very good dialogue," she said. "You want someone who comes in and thinks of this character as a real person. He absolutely makes the guy three-dimensional and always wants to bring out his kinder side, his more knowing side."

So far this season, "30 Rock" has fallen short of the ratings NBC was hoping for, drawing an average of 6.2 million viewers. But the network still is bullish on the program. This week, it's moving from its 8 p.m. Wednesday slot to Thursday night, where it will be part of a new comedy block with "My Name Is Earl," "The Office" and "Scrubs."

"It feels like a show that's really on the right path," said Reilly, noting that "30 Rock" is getting a larger audience than "The Office" did in its first season, before it broke out as a hit. "That's why we're kind of making the bet on it with this new move, which I think is going to be a long-term play."

Baldwin has a more fatalistic attitude.

"If the audience is attracted to the show, great," he said flatly. "If not, they're not. If we fail, we fail like most other shows do. Most don't make it. The only contribution I can make is to just come in and do this the best I can, shot by shot, line by line."

On a recent afternoon, Baldwin taped a scene that called for Donaghy to be on the phone in his office, speaking affectionately with a "Condoleezza."

Baldwin took it from there, ad-libbing his own lines as the producers — watching on nearby monitors — shook with silent laughter.

"Where is your hand now?" he murmured slyly. "You shouldn't be doing that while you're driving. Condoleezza? Are you there? I lost her."

It may not be "Little House on the Prairie," but for now, Baldwin said he's content.

"To be perfectly honest with you, if I do this show and that's all I do in the next few years, that would be enough for me," he said. "I'm not someone who is doing this to kill time while I'm waiting to revive my fortunes in the movie business. I don't think about it that way. This is where I'm at now, this is what I'm doing."

http://www.calendarlive.com/tv/cl-ca-baldwin12nov12,0,4996821,print.story?coll=cl-tvent

RussTC3

11-11-06, 12:32 AM

Brothers and Sisters is very good, I also like Men in Trees, which is in the same sort of vein as B&S.
Isn't it though? It's really a joy to watch every week, the interaction between all the characters, the love they share yet struggle to show, its just wonderful. There are just so many great moments. Like one for instance, I'll mention it without spoiling it, when Justin helped his niece. Man oh man, that was great. I actually rewound that on the spot and watched it again.

It has really surprised me, especially since many critics panned it for some strange reason. I'm so very glad ABC has given it a full season order. It definitely has one of the best casts on television today.

It seems I've missed the boat to "Men In Trees" I DVRd the first episode but it got lost in the mess of great new shows this season. Perhaps I'll try to get into the series, I'm sure I'd enjoy it.

3lbs. seems interesting, plus its a medical drama, so I'm sure I'll give it a look.

fredfa

11-11-06, 01:04 AM

Try to catch up with "Men In Trees", Russ. It is a quiet show that always leaves me happy I have spent timer with its characters each week.

I am looking forward to catching up -- soon -- with all the B&S episodes

keenan

11-11-06, 04:38 AM

Isn't it though? It's really a joy to watch every week, the interaction between all the characters, the love they share yet struggle to show, its just wonderful. There are just so many great moments. Like one for instance, I'll mention it without spoiling it, when Justin helped his niece. Man oh man, that was great. I actually rewound that on the spot and watched it again.

That was a fantastic scene, one of those rare moments you could call perfect TV. :)

shuttermaker

11-11-06, 10:26 AM

fredfa

11-11-06, 11:42 AM

Yes, I think the ABC show ran from 1982 to 1986 or so.

fredfa

11-11-06, 12:30 PM

Critic’s Notebook
Top 10 Reasons TV Turns Us Off
When engaging turns enraging
By Chuck Barney Contra Costa Times TV critic Nov. 11, 2006

It's the end of another long, hard day. As we plop, bone-tired, into the couch, we turn our lonely eyes toward television, counting on it to provide some soothing comfort and escape.

Alas, all too often we end up feeling like we got punk'd. Not only does the medium bombard us with shows so rancid you can practically smell the stench through the screen, but it works on our every last nerve via an electronic assault of, among other things, ear-splitting commercials, mind-boggling schedule changes and trite plot devices.

Is it any wonder some of us have the urge to make like Elvis and bust a cap in our TV set -- or, at the very least, file an airtight restraining order against it?

Maybe the problem is that the people who work in television are clueless when it comes to realizing how ticked-off we really are. And maybe it's time we let them know.

With that in mind, we've put together a list of some of our biggest TV annoyances -- things that bug us to no end. Without further ado, let the rant begin:

1. LAUGH TRACKS: Canned laughter long has been a major pet peeve (don't you dare tell us when to chuckle or chortle!). But in an era rife with unfunny sitcoms, it's downright insulting. Note to all comedy writers: If your jokes fail to provoke even a smile from your spouse and/or mother, a laugh track won't compensate for your deficiencies.

2. PADDED REALITY-TV RESULTS SHOWS: Sure, "American Idol" and "Dancing With the Stars" are good frothy fun, but the fun ends on "results" night when we're force-fed about 50 minutes of worthless filler and commercials, and only 10 minutes of material that we actually care about. Say it with us, people: "We're as mad as hell and ..."

3. NOISY COMMERCIALS: So you have the volume on your TV set exactly at the point where it doesn't scare the cat and/or prompt the neighbors to take up firearms. Then, suddenly, a booming commercial comes on with decibel levels equal to those of a Rolling Stones concert. Horrified, you scramble for the mute button as earwax sprays the walls. Not even Jack Bauer was put through this kind of torture.

4. PREMATURE CANCELLATION: A network spends all summer urging you to go on a blind date with a show -- say, like "Smith" or "Kidnapped" -- and by fall, you agree to launch a relationship. But then -- poof! -- in what seems like an instant, said show is gone. No explanation. No goodbye note. It's just gone. Not only do you feel totally jilted, but you become gun-shy about ever committing to another such show. In the immortal words of Tom Petty and Stevie Nicks: "Stop draggin' our hearts around"!

5. CHARACTER VOICE-OVERS: When does a TV plot device go from entertaining to irritating? When it becomes a tired cliche. Do we really need to hear Meredith Grey (Ellen Pompeo) spew superficial bromides about romantic relationships over scenes from "Grey's Anatomy"? (That's so "Ally McBeal" and "Sex and the City.") And why does the voice of Mary Alice Young (Brenda Strong) of "Desperate Housewives" live on two years after her character died?

6. MUSICAL MONTAGES: Speaking of cliches, does it seem like every drama these days feels the need to finish out an episode with a painfully earnest song playing over scenes of emotionally fragile characters hugging each other, trudging through the rain, or staring off into space like little sad-eyed puppies? When, exactly, did scriptwriters run out of things to write?

7. WOMEN AS VICTIMS: The preponderance of crime procedurals is reason alone to kill your TV. But maybe we'd be a little less disgusted if these shows weren't constantly upping the ante when it comes to depicting grisly violence perpetrated against women. Even more troubling: This season, the trend seems to be spreading to teens and children. Enough is enough.

8. INTRUSIVE PROMOTIONAL BUGS: The doctors of "House" are frantically trying to revive a patient. They're pounding on her chest and yelling "Come on! Come on!" Meanwhile, you're so tense that you're practically leaving claw marks in your couch ... when what should appear at the bottom the screen? Goofy Bart Simpson reminding you to watch "The Simpsons" on Sunday night. Talk about ruining the moment.

9. ADVANCE AD SPOTS THAT PROMISE -- OR GIVE AWAY -- TOO MUCH: Nothing irks us more than to be hit with a hyped-up ad that gives away a juicy plot development on our favorite show. (Why do you think we avoid Internet spoilers?) Well, maybe something does irk us more: Ads that deceive us into believing something HUGE is going to happen, only to eventually discover that we got played.

10. SCHEDULE CHANGES/TIME-SLOT SHENANIGANS: Raise your hand if you've had your DVR recording all screwed up because some numskull programmer decided to start "The Nine" at 10:02 p.m.? Oh, we so feel your pain. OK, raise your hand if you sat down to watch "Studio 60" at its regular time, only to discover that some other numskull decided to shuffle shows at the last minute.

Now use that hand to pen your own list of complaints and send it to those numskulls. You'll feel better. We promise.

http://www.contracostatimes.com/mld/cctimes/entertainment/columnists/chuck_barney/15983289.htm?template=contentModules/printstory.jsp

rebkell

11-11-06, 03:01 PM

Was "Men in Trees" on last Friday? I don't recall seeing it.

I don't think this got answered, but no it wasn't on last week. We had a new one last night and I don't think we get any more shows until Nov 30, when it starts airing on Thursdays.

fredfa

11-11-06, 03:15 PM

Correct, rebkell -- the next airing of "Men In Trees" will be Thursday, Nov. 30th at 10 PM ET/PT, following "Grey's Anatomy".

keenan

11-11-06, 03:32 PM

I don't think this got answered, but no it wasn't on last week. We had a new one last night and I don't think we get any more shows until Nov 30, when it starts airing on Thursdays.
Yes, thanks, I caught last night's airing and it didn't look like I missed anything, thanks for the confirmation. :)

fredfa

11-11-06, 04:24 PM

Washington Notebook
NAB, Democrats and the Election
By John Eggerton Broadcasting & Cable 11/13/2006

Washington turned Democratic blue after last week’s midterm elections, with broad implications for broadcasters and cable operators. The change in the makeup of the House and Senate could affect the TV-sex-and-violence debate and give new ammo to foes of media consolidation.

Sensing the shift among voters, the National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) hedged its bets and began funding key Democrats toward the end of the campaign.

NAB President David Rehr, hired in part for his red-state connections, assured reporters the day after the election that he can effectively work with Democrats, who will control both the House and, by the slimmest of margins, the Senate.

“I have a lot of friends who are Democrats,” says Rehr, who will be looking to make some new ones as well.

Much of the NAB’s PAC-money donations to Democrats came in the final phase of the campaign. Early on, 67% of NAB money was going to Republicans and only 33% to Democrats, according to the Website opensecrets.org.

THE GAP NARROWED

As the election neared, the NAB upped its Democratic percentage to 45% of the $700,000 it directed to candidates or parties. “Our giving pattern is the best it’s been for Democrats for five or 10 years,” Rehr says.

NAB’s blue-state bankroll included contributions to the campaigns of Rep. Nancy Pelosi ($2,500 to her campaign, $5,000 to the Democratic-leadership PAC), Rep. Ed Markey ($10,000) and Rep. John Dingell ($7,000).

It even contributed to frequent media critic Sen. Joe Lieberman ($6,000) because the Connecticut Democrat-turned-Independent was running against Democratic candidate Ned Lamont, whom Rehr calls “a cable guy”; Lamont owns a small cable company.

Now the NAB and, to a lesser extent, the National Cable & Telecommunications Association (NCTA) will have to cozy up to new pols. In the House, Markey (of Massachusetts) and Dingell (Michigan) are in line to take over the House Telecommunications Subcommittee and the Energy and Commerce Committee, respectively. The Senate Communications Subcommittee will probably stay much the same, with the current co-chairmen switching chairs. Most of the telecommunications-bill action will probably come from the House side.

The old Congress comes back this week for a last, lame-duck hurrah, but that will likely be focused on the budget. One broadcast-related action could be FCC Chairman Kevin Martin’s renomination hearing and vote. There has been a hold on his nomination, widely believed to have been placed by Senator John Sununu (R-NH) over Internet- phone issues.

Rehr is already looking forward to the next session and was talking up Dingell last week as a more broadcaster-friendly Energy and Commerce chairman than current Chairman Joe Barton (R-Texas), who was, among other things, dead set against digital multicast must-carry.

“Joe Barton came out of kind of the ultra–free-market perspective,” Rehr says. “You know: 'Government shouldn’t be involved at all. Why should we give you anything? You should have to pay for everything.’”

By contrast, he says, Dingell “has had a very good relationship with the Michigan Broadcasters Association and our television board Chair Alan Frank [from Post-Newsweek in Detroit].”

DINGELL TALKS TOUGH

The NCTA was not weighing in on the new Congress, but essentially the Energy and Commerce Committee will be switching “a cable guy” in Barton for a broadcaster/telco-friendly chairman in Dingell.

That may not be so damaging. Lobbying is about relationships, and NCTA chief Kyle McSlarrow is well-liked and well-respected, says a lobbyist who often argues the other side on cable issues.

For his part, Dingell wasn’t throwing kisses at either the broadcast or the cable industry. At a press conference last week, he said the committee will take a hard look at any loosening of media-ownership rules, with an eye toward protecting the public interest and diversity of voices.

Another veteran lobbyist sees a tough time for the FCC’s Martin on ownership issues, with hearings and perhaps even legislation blocking further deregulation. One lobbyist says Democratic Commissioners Jonathan Adelstein and Michael Copps, vocal consolidation critics, “will be happy to gin things up.”

This lobbyist, however, says, “I expect, if they do anything on ownership, it will be [lifting the ban on newspaper/broadcast crossownership] and that will be it.”

A veteran Washington communications lobbyist is less optimistic than Rehr and thinks the NAB has “a little bit of an uphill climb.” Another calls it “rough sledding.” That’s even considering that the organization recently added a quartet of Democratic lobbyists, including the newly hired former Texas Democratic Congressman Max Sandlin.

CONSUMER-FRIENDLY DEMOCRATS

Rehr sees Democrats’ traditional consumer-friendliness working for broadcasters on issues like multicasting and freeing up more money for DTV-to-analog converter boxes.

Currently, as much as $1.5 billion has been allocated to pay for the converters, but Rehr thinks the Democrats could free up some more. “I believe there is going to be more than the $1.5 billion.”

The difference between the Republicans and the Democrats, he says, is that, when the money runs out, “the Republicans will say, 'You spent all the money, too bad.’ The Democrats will not allow a person to be disenfranchised.”

The downside is that there will likely be more attention on direct-to consumer drug and alcohol advertising. Dingell says those issues, with billions of ad dollars at stake, are on his radar screen. And, with Sen. Jay Rockefeller (D-W.Va.) and Lieberman wielding more power, TV violence could get more attention, an issue Rehr says the NAB TV lobbying staff is going to start paying more attention to.

On the red-hot-button issue of indecency, the Parents Television Council, for one, doesn’t expect much difference with a Democratic-controlled Congress. “There is a commitment to our issues across the board,” says PTC government-affairs chief Dan Isett. “I don’t anticipate any of that is going to change.”

One veteran lobbyist agrees: “I don’t see any change. Politically, it’s a loser issue for anyone who defends the broadcaster side.”

http://www.broadcastingcable.com/index.asp?layout=articlePrint&articleID=CA6390449

fredfa

11-11-06, 04:35 PM

Washington Notebook
Democrats In Charge, but Not Threatening
Telecom Policy Not Likely To Be On Capitol Radar
By Ted Hearn MultiChannel News 11/13/2006

Washington— If anything bad happens to the cable industry as a result of the Democratic takeover of Congress, it shouldn’t happen very fast.

Angry about war in Iraq and corruption on Capitol Hill, voters booted House and Senate Republicans from power last Tuesday. The watershed election put Democrats in charge of both chambers for the first time in 12 years.

END OF AN ERA

The election ended an era of cable-industry oversight by Republicans with a free-market orientation. But because House and Senate Democrats have made the issues that drove voters to the polls their legislative agenda to start 2007, it’s highly unlikely that incoming House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) has plans to move telecommunications policy to the forefront of the new Congress.

“I would just note that this election was not about telecom,” Stifel Nicolaus telecom analyst Blair Levin said.

For the time being, Levin expects a benign environment for cable on such matters as franchise reform, network neutrality, and any mandate, to sell cable channels one at a time to viewers, known as a la carte pricing.

“I don’t believe that Congress is likely to pass a big, comprehensive bill,” Levin said.

Jessica Zufolo, who tracks telecom policy at Medley Global Advisors, said telecom legislation won’t be foremost on Democrats’ minds.

“Telecom is not going to be a big focus in the next two years,” Zufolo said.

Institutional forces would assist cable if the industry wound up needing to block bad legislation. House leaders can ram a bill through the chamber, but the same is not true in the Senate, where a 60-vote supermajority is needed to quell filibustering by minority opponents. Democrats will have a 51-49 margin in the 110th Congress.

Meanwhile, President Bush is expected to make greater use of his veto power to check the Democrats — something he did only once since 2001, so as not to offend congressional Republicans.

The National Cable & Telecommunications Association declined to comment on the election’s results.

The Democratic lawmakers who will exercise dominion over cable, phone and broadcast companies are familiar faces, with decades of experience in the recondite world of telecommunications policy.

In the Senate, the Commerce Committee will likely be headed by Sen. Daniel Inouye (D-Hawaii), taking the gavel from Ted Stevens (R-Alaska). Inouye, who has not staked out an agenda, isn’t likely to move a telecom bill early next year, an aide to the senator said last week. Inouye, 82, was elected in the Senate in 1962.

VETERAN LEADERSHIP

In the House, cable lobbyists will need to answer to Reps. John Dingell (D-Mich.) and Edward Markey (D-Mass.). Dingell is expected to take the chairmanship of the Energy and Commerce Committee and Markey the chairmanship of the Telecommunications and the Internet Subcommittee.

Their combined House tenure is 82 years.

Both held the same positions when Democrats lost power in 2004. In 1992, Dingell and Markey were instrumental in securing passage of the Cable Television Consumer Protection and Competition Act, subjecting cable operators to comprehensive regulation at the Federal Communications Commission. In 1996, Dingell and Markey backed the first major overhaul of telecommunications statutes in 60 years, a law that eliminated some cable rate controls in early 1999.

Dingell would take the gavel from Rep. Joe Barton (R-Texas), a deregulator who often sided with the NCTA on such hot topics as net neutrality and multicast must-carry.

“I think Mr. Dingell, frankly, is an improvement for us over Mr. Barton,” said National Association of Broadcasters president David Rehr. “[Barton] was just a cable guy.”

In an interview, Dingell indicated interest in passing a telecommunications bill, though he wouldn’t commit to a timetable.

“Clearly, we’ve got to do something about the telecom bill,” Dingell said. “We passed a bill which I regrettably was not able to support, but the Senate has taken no action on it. I think we’re going to try and do that again in a responsible way.”

The House passed a telecommunications bill in June, but the effort collapsed in the Senate, largely over the contentious issue of net neutrality. Both bills sought to expedite the entry of AT&T and Verizon Communications into cable markets by reducing the oversight role of local governments.

“I think we’ll take a look at it. I can’t tell you how far we will go,” Dingell said, referring to cable franchising.

Rep. Rick Boucher (D-Va.) — who would likely become chairman of the telecommunications subcommittee if Markey took the chairmanship of the House Resources Committee — said last week that franchise reform might be off the agenda.

“[The phone companies] may not come back and ask for video franchise-relief. I wouldn’t be surprised if they just trust their fate to states on that. They are doing pretty well in the state capitals,” Boucher said.

Dingell also is watching to see whether Federal Communications Commission chairman Kevin Martin goes too far in relaxing ownership of radio and TV stations in local markets.

http://www.multichannel.com/article/CA6390451.html?display=Top+Stories

fredfa

11-11-06, 10:16 PM

TV Notebook
`60 Minutes' and friends plan tribute to Bradley

(The Chicago Tribune) November 11, 2006

"60 Minutes" will give its late correspondent Ed Bradley a send-off on Sunday with an hourlong tribute that features interviews with close friends and a solo by jazz musician Wynton Marsalis.

Bradley, a 26-year veteran of the CBS newsmagazine, died of leukemia on Thursday.

Sunday's special includes Steve Kroft's interviews with some of Bradley's closest friends: musician Jimmy Buffett, journalist Charlayne Hunter-Gault and Marsalis.

Morley Safer will review the legacy of Bradley's estimated 500 "60 Minutes" stories.

Lesley Stahl will do a profile of Bradley, from his childhood in Philadelphia to his job at "60 Minutes."

It will air in the "60 Minutes" time slot at 7 PM ET/PT.

http://www.chicagotribune.com/entertainment/tv/chi-0611110250nov11,1,1322160.story?coll=chi-ent_tv-hed

fredfa

11-11-06, 10:22 PM

The Business of Television
Happy Hostilities!
By John M. Higgins Broadcasting & Cable 11/13/2006

Broadcasting and cable executives are bracing for their new holiday tradition, the annual outbreak of fights over cable systems' carriage of local TV stations.

Dec. 1 is a pivotal day. Many systems' deals to retransmit local TV signals—so-called retransmission consent—expire at the year's end. Federal rules require them to give subscribers 30 days' notice that a station may go dark. Stations routinely grant extensions to keep negotiations going or to push the whole matter off for a few months.

But a station intent on provoking a clash will set a deadline, forcing the issue. When the Chyron warnings start crawling on cable channels telling customers they may lose the channel they're watching, the game is on.

Sinclair Broadcast Group is embroiled in a showdown with cable operator Mediacom, threatening to yank its signal from various systems serving around 700,000 subscribers in 22 markets, mostly in small towns and Iowa cities like Des Moines and Cedar Rapids. Medicom has gone to court and the FCC to slow Sinclair down.

Other fights are simmering as well. The Hearst-Argyle station group is battling with Cox Communications. A dozen CW affiliates are trying to get carriage on Time Warner Cable. CBS-owned stations' agreements with several smaller cable operators are expiring soon, and CBS Corp. President/CEO Leslie Moonves has practically made securing cash payments from operators his personal crusade.

Broadcasters believe they deserve meaningful cash from cable systems seeking to retransmit TV stations' signals. So far, stations have squeezed cash only out of satellite and small cable operators.

A Pandora's Box?

Major operators still resist. They offer compensation like buying advertising or carrying a cable network that a broadcast company has launched. (That's how Fox's FX came to be in many markets). Cable operators fear that cash deals will open a Pandora's box that could ultimately cost them $1 billion a year.

The Medicom-Sinclair fight is nasty. Mediacom CEO Rocco Commisso looks and speaks every bit like the Bronx Italian former nightclub owner that he is. What is less immediately apparent is his financial savvy, developed through years as a commercial banker and cable executive.

Sinclair's gruff CEO, David Smith, seems to revel in provoking fights. He is not part of the broadcasters' “club” and doesn't seek to be.

It's getting personal. In a recent earnings call with analysts, Smith said that the fact that Mediacom took the retrans fight to the court and the FCC rather than continuing negotiations “speaks to the integrity and credibility that they have as a company and as a group of people.” Industry executives say that Commisso was enraged over Smith's remarks.

Sinclair General Counsel Barry Faber says Mediacom executives and lawyers “have screamed at me, have sworn at me, have called me names. My experience with Medicom is, they think you're reasonable if you agree with them. If you don't, they're yelling and bullying and threatening to go to war.”

Mediacom Executive VP John Pascarelli says, ultimately, viewers are the ones that pay: “If we agree to their outrageous demands, cable bills go up even more. If we don't agree, Sinclair pulls the stations. Either way, the consumer gets hurt.”

Sinclair laid out a price schedule to Mediacom calling for 36¢-40¢ per subscriber monthly for systems carrying any of the company's affiliates of the Big Four networks, and 10¢-12¢ to carry affiliates of The CW or MyNetworkTV. But court filings show that Sinclair has also proposed deals at around half those costs.

So, bottom line, Medicom would have to pay about $2 million a year. That's hardly crushing, but Commisso worries that succumbing to Sinclair's demands would encourage other broadcasters to try to ask for even more. (ABC once suggested that its stations should be worth $2 per sub.)

Both companies are in a bind. Mediacom risks losing customers to satellite TV, but Commisso doesn't have the leverage to inflict much pain on Sinclair in return. A cable system is most powerful if it dominates the market, which means a station risks losing the bulk of its viewers—and advertisers, as well —overnight.

Sinclair's Strategy

In this case, Sinclair's Des Moines and Cedar Rapids, Iowa, stations would be crunched, and possibly crushed. But Sinclair will suffer far less damage than if it picked a fight with, say, Comcast, which owns systems in two of Sinclair's largest markets, Baltimore and Pittsburgh.

Sinclair needs to win. The company has touted retransmission-consent payments as a key source of growth, telling investors the fees could reach $80 million-$100 million annually. If so, that would increase Sinclair's operating cash flow by 25%-30%.

Medicom has lost an initial round in court, and the FCC hasn't ruled. But this is only one of many fights to come. The only sure beneficiaries are media attorneys, who can count on these fights to generate a nice Christmas bonus each year.

http://www.broadcastingcable.com/index.asp?layout=articlePrint&articleID=CA6390354

Sigwolf

11-11-06, 10:33 PM

The Business of TV
Just why the scuffle over DVR viewing
Why indeed. Delayed viewing is stunningly high

By Kevin Downey MediaLifeMagazine.com staff writer Nov 9, 2006

Says Wurtzel: “The concern we have is that if we continue to do business on a live-only basis then we’re distorting what the viewing is."

http://www.medialifemagazine.com/artman/publish/printer_8444.asp

Genius... absolute genius. :rolleyes: A man in his position is just starting to figure this out now? Between my wife and I, our household watches *23* primetime network shows. According to Nielsen standards we watch absolutely none, nada, zilch. For the past two seasons the only television we watch live is sporting events and occassionally the news. Everything else is viewed from the DVR. It's about time the networks figure out these weekly ratings have very little, if any, connection to how many actual people are interested in and truly watching their shows.

fredfa

11-11-06, 10:35 PM

DVD Notebook
“Threshold”
They Fought the Aliens, and the Viewers Shrugged
By Jon Caramanica The New York Times November 12, 2006

Network shows die all the time, though few have died with less fanfare than “Threshold,” which ran for eight episodes on CBS in the fall of 2005. An astutely written, legitimately spooky sci-fi drama that played like the early “X-Files” with better lighting and makeup, and vivid (if sometimes cartoonish) computer-enhanced special effects, it was a ratings dog, canceled with its final four episodes unshown. An online petition to save the show didn’t even draw 1,000 signatures.

On “Threshold” an elite team is convened to fight a mysterious alien infection transmitted through sound, food, sex and myriad other avenues. True, it’s a dull conceit, except that the casting — some of the most eclectic in recent television memory — appeared to have been done by blind dart toss. There was Brent Spiner, a k a Mr. Data from “Star Trek: The Next Generation”; Charles S. Dutton, the star of “Roc”; Peter Dinklage, the little guy from “The Station Agent”; and Rob Benedict, formerly that irksome kid from “Felicity.” Justifying and holding together this motley crew was Carla Gugino, late of the short-lived “Karen Sisco,” a much-liked actress who has yet to meet the TV series she can carry.

As Dr. Molly Anne Caffrey, she headed an unusually jovial crew, the most compelling member of which was Mr. Dinklage’s Arthur Ramsey. A linguist and mathematician with a booze-and-strippers problem, Ramsey was utterly lewd and snarky, the rare unsympathetic character who didn’t inspire pity or revulsion. Instead, his peculiar combination of id and self-loathing felt honest and unsentimental, refreshing for a show in which aliens spend each episode trying to find a way to infect all the humans on Earth.

Why the show’s final four episodes didn’t merit even a Saturday-night burn-off is a mystery unanswered by the recently released DVD box. Was it the throwaway joke about Iraq? Or maybe the cockamamie story line about how two neutron stars will collide, creating cosmic radiation that will irreparably damage Earth and its population, a fate the aliens are trying to prevent? Did they fear broadcasting the scene with a shirtless, postcoital Mr. Dinklage (coincidentally, one of his best performances in the series)?

The show was only getting better. (“Threshold” began reruns on the Sci Fi Channel last week. The channel will present all the episodes, including the four unshown ones.) In the episodes that were never broadcast, a new character — a renegade semi-infected doctor who metes out genetically enhanced vigilante justice against the alien infectees — captures the interest of Dr. Caffrey. Additionally the premises of the episodes, which appeared loose at the season’s outset, were beginning to cohere, even as they became more audacious. Which is to say the show’s core mystery was becoming less of a crutch, making “Threshold” a science-fiction show decreasingly interested in science or fiction, without sacrificing its intensity, or its weirdness.

In the bonus interviews packaged with this set, the show’s creators reveal that they learned of its impending cancellation while shooting the final episode, leaving them barely enough time to scribble out a clean resolution to the series. But if the bulk of that episode is any indication, they had at least an inkling that the end was nigh while writing it. A slapstick comedy hour that somehow evokes “Three Men and a Baby,” “Rosemary’s Baby” and “Night of the Living Dead,” it is remarkably self-aware television. Either the creators sensed doom was around the corner and responded accordingly, or they were just finding a comfortable stride, and had plenty more tricks up their sleeves.

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/11/12/arts/television/12cara.html?_r=1&oref=slogin&ref=television&pagewanted=print

fredfa

11-11-06, 10:43 PM

Genius... absolute genius. :rolleyes: A man in his position is just starting to figure this out now? Between my wife and I, our household watches *23* primetime network shows. According to Nielsen standards we watch absolutely none, nada, zilch. For the past two seasons the only television we watch live is sporting events and occassionally the news. Everything else is viewed from the DVR. It's about time the networks figure out these weekly ratings have very little, if any, connection to how many actual people are interested in and truly watching their shows.

It is not in their interests to admit that, Sigwolf -- after all the advertisers pay the bills, and networks want advertisers to think that all of us with DVRs watch the commercials, too. But that percentage4 is still only about one ion six households.

I agree that since getting my first TiVo four years ago, I have rarely watched anything live -- I'll just start an hour-long show 15 minutes in to miss the commercials. I even watch many sports events the same way, and, if I figure it out right, catch up to the final few minutes live.

I'd bet that in the (relatively) near future, the networks will be able to offer (via fiber or satellite or something as yet undiscovered) a viewer's choice:
a) get all programs VOD with commercials for a small fee, or
b) all program without commercials for a substantially higher fee.

DoubleDAZ

11-11-06, 10:50 PM

And it gets even worse when adding Tivo stats to the mix in an attempt to account for DVR usage. Many Tivo folks, at least many that post in these forums, simply record as much as they can and end up watching only a fraction of what they record. While your 23 is a large number, we currently keep up with 36 network primetime programs (only one of which is a half hour sitcom, only one reality program, no news programs, and only one that is not watched by both of us, whew!). None of these get counted either, and neither do the other recordings like SG1, Atlantis, BSG, The Closer, Monk, The Factor, et al. The current system is a joke, but I suspect many would object if they tried "collecting" more accurate data, no matter how innocent. :)

Sigwolf

11-11-06, 10:52 PM

It is not in their interests to admit that, Sigwolf -- after all the advertisers pay the bills, and networks want advertisers to think that all of us with DVRs watch the commercials, too. But that percentage4 is still only about one ion six households.

I agree that since getting my first TiVo four years ago, I have rarely watched anything live -- I'll just start an hour-long show 15 minutes in to miss the commercials. I even watch many sports events the same way, and, if I figure it out right, catch up to the final few minutes live.

I'd bet that in the (relatively) near future, the networks will be able to offer (via fiber or satellite or something as yet undiscovered) a viewer's choice:
a) get all programs VOD with commercials for a small fee, or
b) all program without commercials for a substantially higher fee.

It may well not be in their interests to admit, but they should know enough to figure out that statements like that just make him look like a clueless, out-of-touch idiot. Surely painting that picture cannot be in their best interests, either.

Your proposed future scenario seems like a fine one... until you take into account what is likely to follow. At what point after such a system is implemented does the "broadcast flag" rear its hideous head, removing our ability to DVR the shows on our own and avoid paying any additional fees for VOD?

fredfa

11-11-06, 11:19 PM

I detest the idea of the broadcast flag, but I see little to indicate it won't be implemented in some form.

fredfa

11-11-06, 11:32 PM

Critic’s Notebook
'Trace' lets LaPaglia's agent loose again
By Jon Caramanica Special to The Los Angeles Times November 12, 2006

(Sunday night) on CBS' "Without a Trace," the suit comes off, and Anthony LaPaglia's Agent Jack Malone looks grateful and drained, as if he'd just crossed a desert for the privilege. Working undercover, he lets a cigarette dangle at an absurd, leisurely angle and, when kidnapped himself, calmly sweet-talks his stiletto-booted abductor. He peels off lines from "Silence of the Lambs" ("I'll put the lotion in the basket, lady!") as if there were nothing more natural than being duct-taped to a chair, staring down the wrong end of a nail gun.

Anything to get out of the office.

As far as team leaders on procedurals go, LaPaglia's Malone is an original. Not clinical like "CSI's" Gil Grissom (William Petersen) or faux slick like Horatio Caine (David Caruso) on "CSI: Miami" or just plain pretty like Lilly Rush (Kathryn Morris) on "Cold Case," Malone is on-the-verge and frighteningly loose. As the show's seasons have progressed (it's now in its fifth) he looks more and more as if he's unraveling — held together by his suit, which is just a hair tight, and a broad-collared shirt out of which his head seems to be bursting.

LaPaglia is never better than the scenes in which he's staring someone down from across the FBI interrogation table, when it seems that a small earthquake is occurring just underneath the skin of his face. He's a study in contrasts: a brute who carefully chooses whom he antagonizes; a soft man who's impossibly tough; full of hypermasculinity that's somehow nonsexual.

And, natch, the type of investigator who's all too eager to let his personal feelings interfere with the execution of his work, so long as justice is served. One of last season's most poignant moments came when, after tracking down a young boy who'd witnessed a murder, Malone confronted the Albanian mob boss who had masterminded the killing and gotten away. After a brief conversation, he attacked the man, relieved him of his gun and put it to the boss' temple, promising retribution should he ever decide to revisit the situation.

Similarly, in this season's fourth episode, when Malone was squaring off with a security guard at a girls' detention center who sidelined as a pimp, his eyes were wet — not with tears, but with the glazed look of the slightly deranged. Yet rather than play Malone as a loose cannon, LaPaglia makes him righteous. It's a smart stroke for a character perpetually grappling with time pressures ("Trace" deals with missing person cases). He never fully loses control but always projects as if he might — the better to encourage expediency in others.

LaPaglia, who is Australian, is best known for his work on "Trace," which has earned him a Golden Globe (but no Emmy). And although the show is popular, it rarely attempts to address large social or political ideas. (A recent episode, the show's 100th, focused on a Hurricane Katrina survivor gone missing, but apart from some brief histrionics and re-created floodwaters, the case was much like any other.)

Often, it seems as if the entire show has been engineered to showcase a bruised and bruising Malone — the rest of the cast is amiable and competent, but few exude heat. Until tonight, though, Malone's been downplayed this season, at the cost of some of the show's passion. A recent episode in which he helps track the son of the aforementioned Albanian mob boss didn't pack nearly the punch of the previous one in the arc, largely because LaPaglia traded his unhinged air for mental chess. And though he's happy to simmer, he'd clearly much rather erupt.

http://www.calendarlive.com/tv/cl-ca-monitor12nov12,0,643878,print.story?coll=cl-tv-features

fredfa

11-11-06, 11:58 PM

HDTV Notebook
Space broadcasts to be in high definition
(United Press International)

HOUSTON, Nov. 10 (UPI) -- Live broadcasts from space next week should be visually stunning and historic, NASA said from Houston, because they'll be broadcast in high definition.

The two live high definition television broadcasts will feature Expedition 14 Commander Michael Lopez-Alegria on the International Space Station, NASA said in a news release. The broadcasts, scheduled for Nov. 15, will be carried by Discovery HD Theater and the Japanese broadcast network NHK.

The broadcasts are a joint effort by NASA, the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, Discovery HD Theater and NHK, the space agency said.

NASA officials in Houston said they've flown HDTV cameras on previous missions but had to wait until the mission was over to retrieve and view the tapes, then share them with scientists, engineers, the media and the public.

"For the first time ever, this test lets us stream live HDTV from space so the public can experience what its like to be there," Rodney Grubbs, NASA principal investigator, said.

HDTV resolution is about six times that of regular analog video, Grubbs said.

http://upi.com/NewsTrack/view.php?StoryID=20061110-065309-8486r

fredfa

11-12-06, 12:48 AM

The college football HD schedule for Saturday, Nov. 18th has been updated with added games and team records in the first post of the thread. (Yes, Michigan at Ohio State will be in HD, and will be a national broadcast on ABC-TV at 3:30 PM ET.)

The BCS rankings will be added tomorrow after they are announced.

fredfa

11-12-06, 02:09 AM

TV Notebook
What About Brian?

ABC has given “What About Brian?” a pickup for its remaining nine episodes of the season.

fredfa

11-12-06, 10:48 AM

TV Review
“Masterpiece Theatre — Prime Suspect: The Final Act”
Helen Mirren in her 'Prime'
The actress returns in fine form in "Prime Suspect 7: The Final Act."
By Robert Lloyd Los Angeles Times Staff Writer

DSI Jane Tennison, the Scotland Yard detective played by Helen Mirren in the "Prime Suspect" series, returns for the last time Sunday, in the terminally titled "Prime Suspect 7: The Final Act." That actress and role are together again, and for the last time, qualifies this as a television event, and it does not disappoint. "Satisfying" is possibly not the right word for a film whose apportioning of pain and loss and rain-bitten gloom is so pervasive, but it doesn't violate the spirit of the series or of its perennially half-triumphant heroine. It doesn't take us out on a sour note.

The case this time involves the murder of a 14-year-old girl, but by now we don't watch "Prime Suspect" (which begins Sunday – check your local PBS listings -- in the framework of PBS' "Masterpiece Theater") for the thrill of seeing a murder solved. Murders are solved all over television every day, and there are only so many variations to play on that theme, so many shocks left to deliver — indeed, there are perhaps no shocks left to deliver, so ardently do our police shows court the perverse. And considered merely as a whodunit, the plot of "The Final Act" is neither particularly compelling nor hard for the viewer to solve, although Tennison herself has trouble along the way. (If she only recognized that she was in a television show, her job would be a lot easier.)

But all we really care about by this point is What Happens to Jane. Though more absent from our lives than not — this is, after all, only the seventh edition in 15 years (although "Prime Suspect 4" constituted three separate stories) — she's the constant, the locus of our hopes. However many victims and unhappy or luckless others litter the script, we want her to survive, and to survive with at least a slim chance of something like happiness. That Tennison is a woman fighting for respect in a man's world, the struggle that early defined her character and animated earlier episodes, has also ceased to matter. She's earned that respect; her problem now is not to squander it.

When we meet her again, after two years, she's drinking to the point of blacking out; her father (the great Frank Finlay) is dying; she has only the most tenuous relationship with the rest of her family; and her investigation has thrown her into an improvidently close relationship with the victim's best friend, Penny (the thoroughly impressive Laura Greenwood), who might represent the daughter she never had, or the sister she could actually love, or simply the friend she lacks. (The screenplay, by Frank Deasy, is happily ambiguous about these things.) "You don't seem sad," Penny tells her, "you just seem lonely." "Yes, I am," she answers. "I am lonely."

Which might not be the worst thing. Apart from the practical matters of whether her drinking will sideline her career before she gets her pension, or whether the filmmakers will even let her live to the end credits — a title like "The Final Act" does imply all sorts of awful possibilities — "Prime Suspect 7" raises the more elusive question of what makes a life worth living. Tennison's devotion to work at the expense of the things we sentimentally tend to regard as the signifiers of personal success (love, children, contentment) can be seen from one angle as a failure; her sister certainly does. And yet she has done what she set out to do.

This is also a story about age and disappearing into it. Tennison's impending retirement is a step into the void. (That she's moving to Florida sends a kind of chill down the spine, as if she had announced that she'd just swallowed poison.) She's surrounded by young people here, who can't see her for their constant text-messaging, and by cutaway images of a London that belongs to them. Also underscoring the passage of time is the return of her old occasional nemesis, Sgt. Bill Otley (Tom Bell, who died not long after), in an unexpected form. And we see her in her old room, facing her younger self, even becoming her younger self, as she dances to old 45s.

Mirren is as usual terrific, but the element of time — those 15 years — adds another layer: This is a role she doesn't interpret so much as an inhabit. An actress with no false modesty, she is often called "brave" for her willingness to look bad, and I don't mean her forgoing of cosmetic surgery, which has not-so-ironically left her more attractive than her many worked-upon peers and allows her to play actual women of more or less her actual age. (She's 61.) But she lets herself look weak here, wrung out, unfocused, undignified — she makes a frighteningly convincing drunk — and in her beauty and decay embodies both the Jane who is and the Jane who might have been, inextricably bound and beyond judgment.

http://www.calendarlive.com/tv/cl-et-primeweb10nov10,0,6408789,print.story?coll=cl-tvent

fredfa

11-12-06, 11:09 AM

TV Review
“Masterpiece Theatre — Prime Suspect: The Final Act”
Swan Song for a Tough Old Bird
By Alessandra Stanley The New York Times

The grim, mesmerizing thing about the final season of “Prime Suspect” is not vicious murder, it’s Jane Tennison. This detective superintendent, white haired and retirement bound, is back and treated by her peers with the same snide condescension that greeted her 15 years ago when she led her first murder investigation.

“The Final Act,” the seventh and final installment of the British crime series “Prime Suspect,” (Sunday, PBS, check local listings) begins as brutally as all the others and is as good and in some ways better than the rest. The series, which stars the extraordinary Helen Mirren as Tennison, was never just a murder mystery. Each new case added a different, unsparing look at the underside of multicultural Britain: a catalog of the seven deadly sins of modern life that ranged from sexual discrimination and homophobia to racism and child abuse.

Most of all “Prime Suspect” turned the evolving portrait of Tennison, obsessively driven, arrogant and single, into a cautionary tale: the seven ages of career woman.

The first season, which was shown in Britain in 1991 and here in 1992, introduced Tennison as an eager detective, not quite young anymore but still junior in the pecking order and so consumed with catching the killer and advancing her career that she let the man in her life slip away. By the second season she was in charge, gruff but dedicated, an attractive older woman respected by her subordinates and prone to fleeting affairs with unsuitable men. Tennison began the fourth season with an abortion. Season six, which ran in 2004, charted her slow, lonely decline as younger officers jostled to take her place.

In “The Final Act,” which is on PBS this Sunday and next, Tennison is battered by full-blown alcoholism, a dying father and the needling of younger colleagues who cannot wait for her to take her pension and go away. “Final countdown, eh?” her boss asks her in a corridor. “How long now?” Tennison, nursing a hangover after a blackout the night before, murmurs that she is not sure exactly. He replies, stingingly, “Not long.”

Female detectives have become commonplace on prime time since “Prime Suspect” became a hit on PBS in 1992. But American crime shows favor postfeminist role models, women who solve crimes without sacrificing their personal lives or their femininity. On “The Closer,” a TNT series that echoes many of the elements of “Prime Suspect,” the deputy police chief played by Kyra Sedgwick is a strong-willed workaholic, but adorably so. She has a devoted live-in lover and a loyal staff, and her one shameful vice is candy, not scotch. Tennison is a generation older, her appearance and personality hardened by the sexism she battled in her youth and the demands of her hard-won career.

For all her flaws and brusque schoolmarmish cool, Tennison has a special sensitivity to victims, a repressed compassion that fuels her zeal to see justice done. That ardor leads Tennison to track down Sallie Sturdy, a 14-year-old girl from a working-class neighborhood in London who vanishes on her way to a school basketball practice.

The first episode begins with a man and woman running down a street. It’s not immediately clear whether they are being chased or are themselves in pursuit, but something looks terribly wrong.

At the same time Tennison wakes up in her apartment in gray silk pajamas, unable to remember how she got to bed or what caused the red bruise on her forehead. When she arrives, shakily, at work, she indignantly scolds a detective for not calling her at home to inform her about the missing teenager. That was a blunder: he called and spoke to her for three minutes. Tennison, who has no memory of the conversation, blusters her way past it, issuing orders and revving up for the case.

She quickly learns that Sallie, who is described by her distraught parents, Ruth (Katy Murphy) and Tony (Gary Lewis), as a model student, has a less savory secret life. Tennison relies on Sallie’s headmaster, Sean Philips (Stephen Tompkinson), and most of all Sallie’s best friend, Penny (Laura Greenwood), the headmaster’s daughter, to put together the missing pieces. When Sallie’s stabbed body is finally discovered in a park, no one is surprised except her agonized parents.

Even at the beginning of her career Tennison had a way with children, a tenderness that clashed with her crisp, brittle office manner. Upset about her father, estranged from her sister and nieces, Tennison becomes attached to Penny, in whom she sees as a younger version of herself.

And that relationship more than anything signals Tennison’s loss of self-control. Penny is a witness, first and foremost, but Tennison’s efforts to befriend her go far beyond the needs of her investigation. She takes Penny to a museum, shows her childhood books and records, and eventually drives her around London; she’s so drunk that Penny is terrified and demands to be let out.

Her drinking is not a secret; she reeks of liquor even in the interrogation room. Her boss, who is not without compassion, orders her to take a sick leave until retirement. Tennison, cornered, promises to pull herself together and retire as soon as she uncovers Sallie’s killer.

Threads from previous seasons are woven through Tennison’s tale. When she reluctantly attends her first Alcoholics Anonymous meeting, she runs into an old adversary, Sgt. Bill Otley (Tom Bell), a rival detective who did his best to undermine Tennison on her first murder case. Retired and six years sober, Otley wants to make amends and becomes the one ally Tennison can rely on as she deals with her father’s death and her own drinking. Yet even that frail crutch is knocked away before she can complete her last investigation.

Ms. Mirren, who played Elizabeth II in the recent film “The Queen,” is a fearless actress, and never more than when portraying this dedicated, redoubtable, not always lovable detective.

The aging Tennison is pitiable, but only up to a point. Even at her most desperate — and we first see her getting ready for the day’s work by pouring herself a glass of vodka and gulping it down like milk — Tennison has inner resources and a cranky determination to survive.

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/11/10/arts/television/10susp.html?ref=television&pagewanted=print

fredfa

11-12-06, 11:13 AM

TV Review
“Masterpiece Theatre — Prime Suspect: The Final Act”
Queen of Scotland Yard: Helen Mirren Closes the Book on 'Prime Suspect' Role
By Kathy Blumenstock Washington Post Staff Writer Sunday, November 12, 2006

Helen Mirren has portrayed various members of English royalty -- but for many TV viewers, she always will be Detective Superintendent Jane Tennison, the flinty crime solver who closes baffling cases for the London authorities.

The sleuth's career wraps up with the two-part drama "Prime Suspect: The Final Act," the seventh installment in the suspense series that first aired on PBS in 1992.

"Since then, the police work has changed, with the huge technological advances we've seen," Mirren said. "It has happened that quickly, but the ["Prime Suspect"] stories still hold up."

The actress laughed when describing a jarring detail from the first "Prime Suspect" story: a detective brandishing a bulky, early 1990s cellphone.

"Almost everything in 'PS-1' still looks so real and okay, but that cellphone gets you," Mirren said. (By contrast, the finale includes a teenager sending a text message on a cellphone the size of a credit card.)

Mirren shot the last "Prime Suspect" immediately after filming "The Queen," a recent movie that's garnering considerable Oscar buzz for her. She won an Emmy for her role as a mercurial monarch in "Elizabeth I," a film made for HBO.

When Mirren arrived on the set of "Prime Suspect," according to executive producer Rebecca Eaton, "she walked exactly like the queen. It was like seeing Queen Elizabeth."

Eaton, who's worked with Mirren in previous "Prime Suspect" installments, said the actress has created a long-running, complex character who is "so exasperating and irritating, who does things all wrong when she handles people -- and yet she is right; she has all the deep determination to find the truth at whatever personal cost."

"There is a little of watching an emotional train wreck when you see Jane Tennison, and at the end of every [miniseries], for her it was worth it," Eaton said.

The series finale centers on a missing girl

who turns up murdered. But it also delves into Tennison's life: She's reluctantly edging toward retirement as she faces her father's terminal illness and grapples with a drinking problem.

Her colleagues and bosses encourage her to leave the police force, but Tennison pleads for a chance to solve one last case. She follows leads that go nowhere while denying her alcoholism and provoking a suspect -- with tragic results.

"Jane is a vulnerable, flawed person," Mirren said. "Strong women are boring, so I play vulnerable women."

Mirren prides herself on her input in every episode of the series: She chose different writers and directors for each, which allowed every story to achieve the distinct look and feel of a stand-alone drama.

"Creative people are far better when they have freedom and feel personally involved, not that they're just coming onto a successful series," she said. "I loved that the writers would take Jane where they wanted to take her."

The final installment includes a poignant element: Tennison's longtime adversary, former Sgt. Bill Otley (Tom Bell), spots her at an Alcoholics Anonymous meeting and apologizes for having repeatedly tried to sabotage her career. But Otley's return to her life is cut short and, in a sad coincidence, Bell died Oct. 4 after a short illness.

The drama plays out over four hours, which Mirren said gave the cast and crew the luxury of working out every plot detail. "On network TV, they have holes bigger than a truck that you can drive through in a plotline," she said.

Mirren also is pleased the series has stayed true to its initial police procedural element.

"You don't want to dip into a soap opera," she said. "It was unfortunate that 'Cagney & Lacey' did that. It became all about marriage and family and got away from the police work."

Mirren, who said she won't play Jane Tennison again, said she needed to keep one very distinct souvenir from the series. "I kept Jane's police ID. It's illegal to use, and if the police find out I have it, they'll come to the door and take it," she joked.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/11/07/AR2006110700823_pf.html

fredfa

11-12-06, 01:32 PM

TV Notebook
Nets prep for winter
Peacock tries to salvage skeins with sked moves
By Rick Kissell Variety Nov. 12, 2006

NBC hasn't gotten the production it was hoping for out of most of its new programs, but sked moves could gives these shows one last good shot.

While "Heroes" has been the most impressive newbie on any net this fall, "Studio 60," "Friday Night Lights" and "30 Rock" have struggled and "Kidnapped" was canceled. Critics gave the skeins good reviews, but auds have been lukewarm toward them.

As the net plans for winter, though, it must make some key decisions in determining what role, if any, these rookies will play.

First move is the shift of "30 Rock," which bombed kicking off Wednesday, to Thursday at 9:30. Its lead-in, the criminally underutilized "Scrubs," is a natural fit behind "The Office" and is a good option opposite "Grey's Anatomy" and "CSI."

And while the chances for "30 Rock" remain slim -- it has the narrow feel of a cable comedy -- it now has a fighting chance. Keeping the comedy brand intact on Thursday will also give NBC a good slot to try out another new laffer.

"Studio 60" and "Friday Night Lights" aren't Nielsen disasters, and there's certainly the risk that changing slots could make things worse.

"Friday" did only slightly better than "Studio" in a one-week tryout in the Monday-at-10 slot last month, but this is its best shot to succeed. And with a median age of 10 years younger than "Studio 60," "Friday" is a much better fit demo-wise with "Heroes."

As for "Studio 60," one option is Wednesday at 9 (the old "West Wing" slot), where it would be an alternative to "Lost" and "Criminal Minds." A big problem here is that "American Idol" will be airing plenty of hourlong segs on Wednesdays, so that makes this timeslot as tough as any.

These aren't easy choices to make, and the safer call would be to let the shows continue in their current slots for now.

Elsewhere, ABC's sked is the one most in flux during November, as the sweep will see the premieres of three shows (quizzer "Show Me the Money," drama "Day Break" and comedy "Big Day").

Later, new drama "October Road" might be a good choice for Mondays at 8 (pushing back "Wife Swap" and "Bachelor" by an hour). Another new hour, the great-looking "Traveler," seems well-suited for a spring run behind "Lost."

On the comedy side, "According to Jim" and "George Lopez" could get the suicide mission of taking on "American Idol" Tuesdays at 8. Net could pair the promising "Knights of Prosperity" with "Help Me Help You" or "In Case of Emergency" from 9 to 10.

And don't count out comedy on Friday now that "Men in Trees" -- in a good move -- has shifted to Thursday behind "Grey's Anatomy."

Fox is counting down the days to when "24" and "American Idol" can take over from weak place-fillers "Justice" and "Standoff," respectively.

Thursday is problematic, with comedies making no sense at 8 opposite stronger laffers on ABC and NBC. Net should try a reality show at 8 and than maybe comedies at 9.

Only real trouble spot for CBS would seem to be Tuesdays at 10, where "3 Lbs." bows this week. "48 Hours" or crime-drama repeats could be asked to fill out the slot in '07.

Laffer "Rules of Engage-ment" likely will replace "The Class" on Mondays.

And here's a vote for soph laffer "How I Met Your Mother" to air following the Super Bowl on Feb. 4. Net could also go with one of its young, dark dramas ("Jericho," "Criminal Minds"), but Super Bowl Sunday is a day of celebration, and these shows would seem out of place here.

A bonus of airing a Monday show after the Super Bowl is that the net should be able to immediately reap rewards by inviting viewers to come back the very next night.

http://www.variety.com/index.asp?layout=print_story&articleid=VR1117953729&categoryid=14

fredfa

11-12-06, 02:24 PM

Saturday’s updated fast national over night prime-time ratings – and Media Week Analyst Marc Berman’s view of what they mean -- have been posted just under the HD Football listings near the top of Ratings News the first post in this thread.

fredfa

11-12-06, 02:56 PM

Washington Notebook
NAB Won’t Aid Dish Cause
By Ted Hearn MultiChannel News 11/13/2006

Washington— The National Association of Broadcasters will oppose legislation that would allow EchoStar Communications to escape a federal injunction cutting off distant-network feeds to 850,000 satellite homes on Dec. 1.

EchoStar hopes that during this week’s post-election lame-duck session, Congress will pass a law that would largely void a permanent injunction and allow the company to continue beaming ABC, CBS, NBC and Fox stations from New York and Los Angeles to its Dish Network customers around the country who can’t obtain the same programming locally with off-air antennas.

Although NAB network affiliates settled with EchoStar, U.S. Judge William P. Dimitrouleas said the law required him to ignore the settlement and impose a nationwide injunction.

NAB members had successfully sued EchoStar, claiming that the company sold distant signals to hundreds of thousands of ineligible subscribers and hurt stations’ local ad revenue in the process in violation of federal copyright law.

'LET THE LAW WORK’

“We are going to be sending a letter up there … opposing any extension on EchoStar,” NAB president David Rehr said Wednesday. “The judge has ruled. Let’s let the law work its will.”

NAB will also have help from News Corp. — which controls DirecTV Inc., EchoStar’s main direct-broadcast satellite rival. News Corp., which refused to settle with EchoStar, pressed Dimitrouleas to impose the injunction.

DirecTV said in a statement last week that EchoStar subscribers won’t be “overly inconvenienced” by the injunction. It said “virtually every” EchoStar customer who is going to lose distant signals can retain access to network programming by viewing their local affiliates with an off-air antenna, over cable or via EchoStar’s and DirecTV’s local-signal packages.

“Affected customers do have options,” DirecTV said. “As usual, the free market is providing a strong solution to this challenge.”

Meanwhile, EchoStar last Wednesday asked the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit to stay the injunction to allow courts to review Dimitrouleas’ decision to reject the settlement. In addition to requiring EchoStar to pay broadcasters $100 million, the settlement would have avoided a cutoff that included EchoStar customers that were legally eligible to receive distant signals. EchoStar has also asked Dimitrouleas to accommodate its business-injury issues by moving the injunction to April 16.

The fate of legally eligible distant-network subscribers has been an ongoing concern of some on Capitol Hill.

“There is going to be a conversation about how the eligible subscribers of distant signal can continue to be served by EchoStar,” said Rep. Rick Boucher, a Democrat with a rural district in southwest Virginia. “It will be a conversation that includes the broadcasters, EchoStar and other interested parties.”

Rehr said that because the vast majority of cut-off EchoStar subscribers will have several options to obtain network programming, the injunction shouldn’t mushroom into a political problem on Capitol Hill.

“I would like to think it’s a non-event,” he added. “We’ll know on Dec. 2.”

LONG MEMORIES ON HILL

EchoStar, Rehr said, will fail to obtain unanimous House and Senate consent to pass the bill quickly.

“There are a sufficient number of members who have worked with [EchoStar chairman and CEO] Charlie Ergen in the past who would not want to help him, based upon both the case and prior experiences,” Rehr said.

Congress, Rehr added, “will be gone” when the injunction takes effect. “We just have to get through the next week and then I think it takes care of itself.”

EchoStar’s preference is to have Congress codify the settlement before Dec. 1. But Boucher said another option is to move the injunction date forward to give Washington time to produce “a comprehensive legislative solution.”

http://www.multichannel.com/index.asp?layout=articlePrint&articleid=CA6390299

fredfa

11-12-06, 07:12 PM

Critic’s Notebook
"Family Guy:" Making Idiots, everywhere, proud
By David Kronke Los Angeles Daily News Television Critic in his “The Mayor Of Television” blog Nov. 12, 2006

What to say about Fox’s fall season that hasn’t already inspired many late-night solitary sessions involving Fox executives cradling straight-razors?

Well, Fox always has its reliable Sunday-night lineup, bolstered by “The Simpsons” and “Family Guy.” And tonight, “Family Guy” returns with one of its typically tautly sculpted, boxes-within-boxes storylines.

Wait: We’re clearly thinking about some other –any other – show on TV. “Family Guy,” its episode is as randomly plotted as ever.

By the way, next time any of you have the occasion to meet “Family Guy” creator Seth MacFarlane, be sure to ask him: Since Brian the Dog not-so-secretly suffers from an unrequited love for Peter’s wife Lois and Stewie is hellbent on killing her, how do they get along so well?

After all, in Brian’s recent book, “Brian Griffin’s Guide to Booze, Broads and the Lost Art of Being a Man,” the hellbent hellhound observes of Stewie, “People are always asking me, ‘Is Stewie gay?’ And my standard answer is, ‘Not yet. But be patient,’” while his assessment of Lois is: “There’s an uncommon air of sensuality in everything she does, from folding the laundry to applying her makeup in a short, clingy robe.”

A most obsessive gaze into the private life of an animated character, and yet, tonight’s episode of “Family Guy” fetishizes Lois even further. After Peter, thoroughgoing moron that he is, blows the fingers off one of his hands playing with fireworks, he forces his wife Lois to do his work for him at the beer factory and becomes obsessed with sexually objectifying his new secretary. More bizarrely: Lois kinda likes it.

Meanwhile, Brian is mortified when Stewie discovers he’s dating a beautiful woman whose voice is provided by Drew Barrymore – no, that’s not the reason he’s filled with umbrage; Brian’s embarrassed because his lover and her friends belong on an alpaca farm, where they might actually be able to keep up with the level of intellectual discourse. As one of her friends notes, “Gloss rhymes with hair!”

Family Guy, 9 p.m. (8 central) on Fox.

http://www.insidesocal.com/tv/

fredfa

11-12-06, 07:15 PM

Critic’s Notebook
Review: Prime Suspect: The Final Act (PBS)
By Ed Bark former Dallas Morning News TV critic at his website unclebarky.com Nov. 12, 2006

Her majesty, Helen Mirren, has been playing queens of late. But she's also found time to perform last rites on her crowning achievement.

PBS' Prime Suspect: The Final Act (8 p.m. central, 9 eastern) plays out in two acts on Nov. 12 and 19. Presented under the Masterpiece Theatre banner, it's the seventh and last look at increasingly dissipated Detective Superintendent Jane Tennison, Nearing retirement, she's battling the bottle, loneliness and her father's impending death from cancer. It's all etched in her color-drained face, the most visible evidence of the toll taken by Tennison's mostly solitary life of crimesolving.

Mirren first played the character in 1992, when she fought chauvinism within Scotland Yard while also exposing corruption within the force. That force has not always been with her, even to this day. Tennison's boss, seeing the effects of her alcoholism, would rather she take sick leave than stay the course on a case involving the brutal murder of 14-year-old Sallie Sturdy (Maxine Barton). But she prevails and perseveres, along the way befriending and nurturing young Penny Phillips (Laura Greenwood), the daughter she never had.

We first see Tennison awakening after another boozy night in her apartment. She notices a discolored lump on her forehead, but has no clue where it came from. Nor does she remember receiving a phone call about the missing Sallie. Fortifying herself with another big belt, she shows up at work in a cloudy state of disrepair. But she's Tarzan, she's Jane, and there's one last riddle to be cracked before they carry her out on her shield.

Final Act is driven by Mirren's ebbs and flows but also has standout performances from Gary Lewis as Sallie's surly father, Tony, and Stephen Tomkinson in the role of school headmaster Sean Philips. Might either or both be implicated in Sallie's death? Tony wants to hear nothing of the sort. "There's your DNA!" he rages after spitting it in Tennison's face.

Sentiment is in short supply throughout this last tale of justice and just desserts. Tennison's conversations with her dying father, Arnold (Frank Finlay), and estranged sister, Pauline (Carolyn Pickles), are strained through years of interpersonal neglect. She is closer to her Dad, but not to the point where they can muster much to say to one another. Tennison is more animated while dancing alone in her abode to a well-worn pop record skipping about on an old school phonograph. The music to her ears is not for sharing.

It all ends a little too abruptly next Sunday, for both Tennison and the legions of Prime Suspect fans who long have watched her from a respectful distance.

Down the homestretch, she snaps at a fellow detective, "Don't call me ma'am. I'm not the bloody queen."

She has been on thrones of late, both in last year's Elizabeth I , for which she won an Emmy, and the current The Queen, for which an Oscar nomination is likely. Jane Tennison will always stand taller, though. She's a piece of work and a body of work, a woman who gave her all at the expense of all else.

In the end, Tennison needed that stinkin' badge. And in real life, it's the one Prime Suspect keepsake that Mirren says she took with her. They are, after all, inseparable.

Grade: A-minus
http://www.unclebarky.com/reviews.html

fredfa

11-12-06, 07:26 PM

Critic’s Notebook
On HDNet, Rather tries something fresh
By Diane Holloway Austin American-Statesman

Dan Rather is happier than a horse without a saddle — and feeling just about as free.

Lately he's been humming the lyrics to Rodney Crowell's "Still Learning How to Fly."

Dan Rather will get to tell the stories he wants on the weekly 'Dan Rather Reports' (7:30 p.m. ET TuesdayRegular time: 8 p.m. ET Tuesday HDNet).

He even popped into Comedy Central on Tuesday night to banter with fake news guy Jon Stewart and offer a few folksy one-liners.

On a more serious note, the proud Texan and former CBS News anchor is embarking on a new career as a "global correspondent" for "Dan Rather Reports," a weekly news program on the super-niche network HDNet. He has free rein to gallop into stories that his corporate bosses at CBS and Viacom probably would have nixed.

"It's liberating and inspiring and exciting," he says. "I desperately want to deliver on this opportunity, but it's daunting. We may not make it. We're trying to climb a very high mountain here."

You might recall that Rather, a part-time Austinite, was forced out as anchor of the "CBS Evening News" in 2005 on the heels of a poorly sourced report about President Bush's military service. He left CBS altogether in June and partnered up with Dallas billionaire and HDNet founder Mark Cuban for this wild new ride.

Although Cuban is based in Dallas and HDNet is headquartered in Denver, Rather is based in New York, with occasional side trips to Austin to see daughter Robin and the grandkids. "Rather Reports" will feature only one on-camera reporter (Rather) and has a slim staff of 19 full- and part-timers.

For competitive reasons, Rather, who turned 75 on Halloween, declines to talk about specific stories for Tuesday night's debut. We do know that he has been traveling extensively since summer, including out of the country. Several pieces are in the can, but nothing is set in stone.

"We want to be up on the balls of our feet for any breaking news," he says.

In a free-wheeling phone interview, Rather said he plans to tackle hard news reports that include analysis, deep investigative pieces and interviews that just might run the full hour. He wants his new program to be known for two "signatures": conversations with soldiers who have fought in Afghanistan and Iraq and the "squeeze on people in the middle-income strata" (he hates the term middle class) who fear they're heading for poverty.

"The mission here is to strive for excellence and be fearless," said Rather, whose 44-year career with CBS News was marked by excellence, controversy and election-night Ratherisms such as "beat him like a rented mule" and "shakier than cafeteria Jell-O."

After his CBS exit, nobody expected Rather to move to Austin and take up full-time fishing, but the HDNet venture came as a bit of a surprise. For one thing, Rather is used to the big stage, and HDNet is a relatively tiny platform.

The high-definition network is available on satellite and digital cable services in about 4 million homes. By comparison, CNN and Fox News cable networks each reach about 90 million satellite and basic cable homes, and the broadcast networks, such as CBS, reach 111.4 million homes.

"It's a small audience now, but it will grow," said Rather, who owns two pricey high-def sets himself (one in Austin, one in New York). "This is like the period of moving from black and white to color. Television is moving quickly toward high-definition."

HDNet is modeled after HBO or Showtime, rather than CBS or CNN. Cuban owns the network outright and doesn't answer to stockholders or corporate owners. Some advertising appears on the network, but it is not rated by Nielsen.

"Mark doesn't care about ratings or demographics," Rather said. "That's not part of his business plan. He doesn't have the kind of entanglements that large corporate bodies have. Viacom, Disney and GE have big legislative and regulatory needs in D.C., and that's anathema to the kind of reporting we want to do. When you do tough stuff that generates big blow-back, the corporate entity has difficulty backing it up because they're in conflict."

Since ratings and ad revenue will not be measures of success, Rather's new venture might be measured by impact. If his news and investigative pieces break news, other media will pick them up. Maybe Rather's reports will be quoted on CNN or (dare we say?) CBS News.

Which brings us to a break from Rather's hard-charging focus on the future. The end of his long career with CBS was unpleasant, to say the least, although both sides profess respect for the other. Rather does not talk much about the break and chooses his words carefully when asked to assess Katie Couric's version of "Evening News" — widely criticized as being softer than the program anchored by Rather and Walter Cronkite before him.

"It's not the kind of broadcast I did," Rather said cautiously. "(CBS president) Les Moonves and (CBS News president) Sean McManus said they wanted to take the 'Evening News' in a different direction, and it's clear they've broken with the past and done that. It's unclear at this stage how it will all shake out. They haven't yet had the challenge of a big, breaking story that unfolds without a script. That will be a major test, so I'll withhold judgment for now."

http://www.austin360.com/tv/content/tv/stories/2006/11/11rather.html

fredfa

11-12-06, 07:33 PM

Critic’s Notebook
Going Out With A Bang
Helen Mirren Ends Classic Role On `Prime Suspect: The Final Act'
By Roger Catlin Hartford Courant TV Critic Nov. 12, 2006

Who said there's no future for an older actress?

At 61, Helen Mirren seems everywhere this fall, on the big screen as Elizabeth II in "The Queen," the kind of role that easily translates to Oscar nominations, a year after winning an Emmy for her portrayal of "Elizabeth I" on HBO. Just out on DVD is "Shadowboxer," in which she plays a female assassin.

But her grandest role returns to TV tonight for its swan song.

As its title promises, "Prime Suspect: The Final Act" will be the last caper for the durable Detective Superintendent Jane Tennison.

When she appeared in the first "Prime Suspect" in 1992, she was a policewoman trying to wend her way through the boys' club to make a stand for herself, with the kind of workaholism acceptable in men but more difficult for a single woman who was already middle-aged and didn't have children to ignore. She did skip her dad's birthday party to talk about a case on a TV talk show.

An abortion in "Prime Suspect 2" was perhaps the most prominent theme in the realm of TV cops. Indeed, it continues to reverberate in the handsome series ender that plays on "Masterpiece Theatre" over two nights starting tonight.

In it, Tennison's retirement is imminent and couldn't come too soon, according to her bosses back at the office. She's been hitting the bottle and missing important calls at home; her father is dying of cancer. Still, she's determined to solve one final case, that of a missing 14-year-old.

In doing so, she'll befriend another 14-year-old who may just be the same age as the child she almost had. She'll run into one of those guys who made her life so hard early in her career, and she'll confront the same gritty urban issues of race and crime that have made "Prime Suspect" always of its time and never a throwback.

In these ways, the final appearance of Tennison has perfect resonance for the six chapters that came before it - the last five of which have won Emmys for Mirren.

Retiring the character now is bittersweet for her. But she said, speaking thoughtfully to reporters on her 61st birthday, "I thought it was time."

"I always want `Prime Suspect' absolutely to reflect the real world that we are in. And in the real world, you know, police people don't go on forever."

Rebecca Eaton, executive producer of "Masterpiece Theatre" says Mirren "was completely influential in choosing this way for Jane Tennison to go out."

But Mirren says if she's had influence in the direction of the story, it's come in helping choose the artistic hands to tell the story.

"Once I've chosen the director and writer, my feeling is that artistic creative people are much better when they're left alone," she says.

"Prime Suspect: The Final Act" was written by Frank Deasy ("Prozac Nation") and directed by Philip Martin ("Bloodlines").

Still, she says, she was very concerned about the character, which may be the favorite of all that she's played.

"This character Jane Tennison is so familiar to me," Mirren says. "Every time I've gone back to do it again, it's like greeting an old friend, a friend you've known from school. You've known her for a very long time, and you may not have seen her for five years, but you feel like you know each other; you have that rapport. I have that sort of relationship with this character."

It was a completely different experience from her other currently acclaimed role in "The Queen."

"Elizabeth, obviously, is a whole different ball game, very much so. I had to do a lot of research." she says.

But Tennison had to fight her way through the male-dominated British police from the beginning. Mirren says she remembers being struck when she read the first script for "Prime Suspect" 15 years ago.

"It was pretty rare to have a female character drive the story, whether it was a police story or not," she says. "I didn't necessarily at that time know how important this piece was going to become or how influential it was going to become in so many ways."

"Prime Suspect," Mirren says, "was very influential in England on many levels - of ways of shooting film, ways of telling stories, ways of presenting female characters. Socially, it made a difference in the police force. So, you know, it had many reverberations."

The more she played Tennison, the deeper she could go with the role, and the audience could follow her progress - or regressions.

"The great thing that `Prime Suspect' did for me was it allowed me to grow up, and grow up on film, and you see me aging right there in front of your eyes. And it allowed me to do that legitimately and realistically and properly," she says. "With `Prime Suspect,' I don't have to pretend to be younger or older or more glamorous or less glamorous than I am."

But, she says, "I push the envelope a bit in this one, on the down side, because obviously, you know, she's struggling. She's in a very dark place at the beginning of the piece."

A lot of the building of the character is through Mirren's own work, in knowing looks at herself in the mirror or frowns alone in her car or at home. As the character falls apart a bit, amid alcoholism and loneliness, the drinking and blackouts paint Tennison at her worst, which worried the actress.

"There are a lot of very serious fans of Jane Tennison out there, and I didn't want to betray them - especially the women who see her as a role model. And I thought: I hope I'm not betraying their trust by doing this.

"But," she says, "I felt that it was truthful to the character, and certainly truthful to a lot of policemen and women who do go that route."

Mirren didn't do a lot of research among detectives as the series continued, and in fact she credits as her biggest influence a long-running American series that's not scripted at all.

"I love `Bad boys, bad boys. What you going to do when they come for you?' What's it called? `Cops.' I love `Cops.' I completely identify with that program. And there have been other good documentaries, serious documentaries with murder investigations. And I find those absolutely mesmerizing, and they did teach me that reality is always more interesting.

"One laughs about `Cops' and everything, but you do see in those programs the world that the police live in, the terrible world that they live in on a daily basis, dealing with drugged-out people and drunk people and pathetic people and poor people. And I would say they're on the front line of governmental decisions about where to put money. They're on the front line of poverty. They're dealing with the results of extreme poverty and extreme deprivation, and they're having to deal with it on a daily basis. And I like to see shows where you really see that."

It also may explain why Tennison seemed to get crankier as the stories went on.

"We always refer to them as PS1, PS2 and PS3," says Eaton of the series. "And Helen - this is something you probably don't know - refers to them as PMS1, PMS2."

Taking the character through a decade and a half wasn't something the actress expected when she started.

When she left the part in 1997 after five chapters, only to return seven years later for "Prime Suspect 6," she wondered whether people would take to her again.

Mirren says she worried that "the world has moved on, and maybe this is not relevant or interesting or cutting-edge anymore, and everyone will go, `Well, that's a bit old-hat.' And if that had been the case, I wouldn't have done this last one. But the reality was it was incredibly well received, the last one.

"It gained a lot of attention, and people felt that it was the best of all the police dramas that had ever been, basically," Mirren says, still dazzled by the compliments and the awards. "So I thought: Well, that's great. There's life in the old girl. I'll give her one more run around the block."

http://www.ctnow.com/tv/hce-primesuspect.artnov12,0,1319103,print.story?coll=hce-headlines-tv-top

fredfa

11-12-06, 08:03 PM

Updated BCS rankings have been added to next week's HD Football Schedule at the top of the first post in this thread.

fredfa

11-12-06, 08:12 PM

The Business of Television
Little Sizzle in Disney, NewsCorp Earnings

By John M. Higgins Broadcasting & Cable 11/12/2006

The sizzle and flash of the fall TV season couldn't hide mixed results at the broadcast units of Disney and News Corp. Both companies posted quarterly earnings last week, and neither impressed.

At Disney, broadcast-station and network revenues grew just 1% to $1.4 billion. That's attributed primarily to the absence of ad revenue from Monday Night Football games, which shifted to Disney-owned cable network ESPN.

However, those games were money-losers, so operating income should have improved. Instead, it dropped 40% from an already unimpressive $48 million to $29 million. Part of the problem stems from a write-down in the value of station licenses; the rest, from losses at the Disney Mobile cellphone startup, which is performing much worse than investors had hoped.

CFO Tom Staggs maintains that the ABC network itself is healthy and the profit picture should improve. “The average cost per hour of entertainment programming for ABC and primetime should be about even this year as versus last year, and so that's going to give you the opportunity for strong margin improvement at ABC this year.”

At News Corp., Fox's financial numbers were more positive, but the U.S. broadcast division has other problems. For the first quarter of fiscal 2007, TV revenues increased just 5% to $1.1 billion, but operating income rose a strong 20% to $192 million.

However, that rise is due largely to an easy comparison to last year's wretched performance. The company took substantial programming write-offs in the fiscal first quarter '06 as Fox rapidly cancelled series, notably Head Cases.

This year, Fox Network doesn't have the write-offs but still has ratings problems. Poorly performing fall shows have dragged ratings down 5% in total viewers this year and 10% in viewers 18-49. In addition to weak performance of the baseball playoffs and World Series, none of the networks' new series have worked, and one-time hit The O.C. is withering on Thursday night against ABC's Grey's Anatomy.

“I think it's safe to say it has not been a stellar fall launch for us,” says News Corp. President/COO Peter Chernin, speaking on the company's quarterly-earnings conference call. Because of the strength of returning dramas House and Prison Break, “we are not in the kind of black hole that we were in the past, but we're certainly not pleased or satisfied with the new dramas we have launched.”

Fox has plenty of opportunities for write-offs from series likely to be cancelled this quarter, notably Happy Hour. The network is expected to bounce back beginning in January when American Idol and 24 return to the schedule.

Both companies' cable-network units posted strong results for the quarter, with double-digit percentage gains in both revenues and income.

http://www.broadcastingcable.com/index.asp?layout=articlePrint&articleID=CA6390469

fredfa

11-12-06, 08:55 PM

TV Notebook
'Brothers & Sisters' works it out
Despite early troubles, the family drama has become a hit for ABC
By Scott Collins Los Angeles Times Staff Writer in the Channel Island TV column Nov. 13, 2006

The producers behind ABC's "Brothers & Sisters" aim to tell the tale of a loving but troubled Los Angeles clan beset by adultery, financial chicanery and unhealed rifts between parents and their adult children, among other woes.

No matter how deeply they plumb their dramatic imaginations, though, they may have a hard time topping the internal strife that permeated the set and the writers' room as the nighttime soap painfully found its footing. Before its Sept. 24 premiere, casting changes, reshoots and behind-the-scenes feuds seemed to spell doom for "Brothers & Sisters."

Some observers predicted a sped-up version of last year's "Commander in Chief" fiasco, in which the ABC White House drama, starring Geena Davis, went through a series of creative overseers throughout the season before its ultimate collapse.

"All of the problems seemed to me almost insurmountable," said Jon Robin Baitz, the veteran playwright who created "Brothers & Sisters."

But in the sort of unlikely twist you might see on an episode of the drama, "Brothers & Sisters," the show that could be thought of as a "thirtysomething" for the post-Sept. 11 era, hasn't failed; in fact, it's hung on to become a surprisingly resilient part of ABC's female-skewing Sunday night lineup.

Although it's nowhere near the hit that "Grey's Anatomy" was in that same 10 p.m. slot last season, "Brothers & Sisters" is averaging about 13.2 million total viewers, according to figures from Nielsen Media Research, and seems to have built a loyal if not enormous fan base that sticks around after "Desperate Housewives." This is particularly significant given that both CBS and NBC rejiggered their Sunday lineups this season and are much more competitive on that night than they have been in years. ABC executives last month ordered more episodes that will guarantee "Brothers & Sisters" at least a full first season — a critical hurdle for any new show.

Equally important, the producers say, is that the series has finally found its way creatively.

In that respect, "Brothers & Sisters" could serve as a reminder to trigger-happy networks that even when faced with a deeply troubled show, sometimes it pays to, well, stay the course. Baitz's labor of love benefited from unstinting network support, not to mention a key assist from a veteran producer of family fare who just happened to be available when needed most.

"Brothers & Sisters" also benefits from standing apart from the pack of complicated, "serialized" dramas, such as "Smith," "Six Degrees" and "Kidnapped," that have swept prime time this season and, at least so far, fizzled with viewers.

What ABC had in mind was a traditional, character-driven domestic drama, albeit with a contemporary feel. The ensemble's lead character, Calista Flockhart's Kitty, is a right-wing talk host who struggles with her family's conflicting views on terrorism and the U.S. wars in the Mideast. Softly lighted montages of family dinners and other happier events are spiked with songs by KT Tunstall and other pop artists.

"We were looking to do a family show, but our version of a family show," said ABC entertainment chief Steve McPherson.

Ken Olin, an actor-turned-director who played Michael on "thirtysomething" and serves as an executive producer on "Brothers & Sisters," said: "It's been a while since there's been a show that people could watch and relate to on an intimate level. There is no high concept here.... I don't think any of us think this is groundbreaking."

Groundbreaking or not, constructing the show proved difficult. After the pilot was shot last spring, Oscar winner Sally Field replaced Betty Buckley in the key role as the steely matriarch of the large brood, which includes three adult sons and two strong-willed daughters played by Flockhart (returning to episodic TV for the first time since "Ally McBeal") and Rachel Griffiths ("Six Feet Under").

The original pilot was scrapped. "As soon as Sally was recast in the role, it was apparent the pilot needed to be reshot," Olin said. Unfortunately, that meant a finished cut of "Brothers & Sisters" wouldn't be available until late August, long after word of mouth had built on other shows.

(Olin praised Buckley as an actress but said her interpretation of the maternal role was too "quirky" and not a good fit with the cast members playing her kids. Field, producers thought, was a warmer presence. Buckley could not be reached for comment.)

In the meantime, Baitz was — by his own account — having problems adjusting to his new job. He admits now he simply didn't know how to plan an entire television series on a weekly basis. Initially he kept his gnawing self-doubts private, but he grew overwhelmed trying to accommodate suggestions from the studio, Touchstone, and ABC executives. "I believed I was wrong more often than I believed I was right," he said.

Marti Noxon, a highly regarded writer and producer who worked on "Buffy the Vampire Slayer," had been hired to oversee the show's day-to-day creative affairs. But she clashed with Olin and Baitz, who, according to sources familiar with the situation, pressed to add more humorous elements to leaven the more serious plot points. Noxon favored keeping the focus on the drama.

"Marti was having a very hard time realizing what Robbie's voice was," Olin said. (Noxon said "no comment" when asked whether she would like to respond.)

The dysfunctional low point came when Noxon abruptly exited in early August, resulting in unflattering headlines that predicted the show's demise would be imminent.

"The press was sort of barraging us with mustard gas attacks," said Baitz.

As grim as the situation might have seemed to outsiders, however, the producers had a couple of important advantages. McPherson remained a strong backer of the show, which meant ABC would exert some patience.

Encouragement also came from an unexpected source: writer-producer Greg Berlanti, whose "Everwood," a family drama for the WB Network, had been canceled at the end of last season. Touchstone, which had a development deal with Berlanti, asked if he'd help out for a week after Noxon left; he's still there and has no plans to leave, he said.

Berlanti gave Baitz a crash course in laying out story lines and churning out scripts for episodic TV. He agreed that the show needed more humor. Berlanti also urged the writers to develop stories around three major characters — Field's mother and the daughters played by Flockhart and Griffiths — rather than try to follow eight or nine family members simultaneously.

If "Brothers & Sisters" ends up less about brothers than sisters, it's no accident. The producers understand the need for a female sensibility given the time slot. "The network has a clear demo with 'Desperate Housewives,' " Berlanti said, "and we need to pay attention to it in designing stories."

Berlanti said much more work remained to be done. For his part, Baitz is relieved and proud of his determination to see his creation weather a seemingly endless bout of crises. In that respect, he sounds much like a family member who's finally emerged after a dark period of loss, such as death or divorce.

"I decided never to give up, so I'd know if it failed, it hadn't been because I'd backed away from it," he said.

http://www.calendarlive.com/tv/cl-et-channel13nov13,0,4655353,print.story?coll=cl-tvent

fredfa

11-12-06, 09:06 PM

TV Notebook
Robbie's Brothers & Sisters Blog
Mad in My Exile
by Jon Robin Baitz , executive producer “Brothers & Sisters” at TVGuide.com

Dateline: Venice, California. Some ruthless bug has totally sidelined me. Symptoms include fever and coughing, paranoia and lassitude. Not wishing to become the Typhoid Mary of Brothers & Sisters, I have banished myself to home, and I am going quietly mad in my exile. What is the evil genius, Dr. [Greg] Berlanti cooking up in my absence? Is Balthazar Getty running naked through the hallways? Is Ron Rifkin trying to seize control of the whole show? Will Touchstone fire me and have my house burned down? Has ABC kidnapped my dog Trip and put him on Dancing with the Stars? All these fears and I've only been out of the office for two days. The idle time has given me room, however, to daydream about where the show is headed, some of the issues we are exploring, and how we're doing it:

1: Growing Up In America Now. What is it like? To go from the idyllic and safe American childhoods so many of us had to a vastly more dangerous world. Take Justin [Dave Annable], drug-addled, suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder from his time in Afghanistan. He has lost himself within a false and impossible perpetual youth, living a Californian golden boy's dream gone bad. I see such potential in him, so much humanity and goodness ahead. But in order to have a future, he's going to have to go on what in Latin is called a Hegira — a flight to escape danger — and he will learn that this flight is as much an internal journey as it is external. In this Sunday's episode [10 pm/ET, on ABC], the first half of a two-parter entitled "Mistakes were Made" (Part 1 was written by Craig Wright and myself, 2 by Greg Berlanti and Marc Guggenheim), we explore the aftermath of September 11, and how that day affected the Walkers. The day when everything changed for all Americans, whether we recognize it or not. A day when young Americans had to begin to grow up, to accept that our lives are political, there is no escaping that, and to look within, to shake off the luxury of merely being part of a distracted consumerist generation.

2: Money and Privilege in America Today. The Walkers have been blessed. I often say that the show is about a family that "had too many blessings, and has now lost them, and has to get them back." Nora has pretty much articulated this line. One of the factors that makes me nervous about the show is all that luxury. I don't want it to be just a wet-dream of lifestyle, big rooms and good taste. In order for the show to resonate, there has to be some challenge to the comfort of the Walkers. And so the story of the business is in some respects the story of corporate malfeasance and its effects on all of us. The company must survive, not just for the wellbeing of the Walkers, but for the people who depend on Ojai Foods for their livelihood, their pensions, their children's college funds and their health insurance. Perhaps most important, they depend on the company as their proxy for the American belief system &mdash in which hard work is rewarded.

The Ojai Foods story is supposed to be fun and complex and mysterious, but it's also informed by my awareness of the effects of the Enron, Adelphia and Worldcom scandals on innocent, hardworking by-standers. Hopefully the company will come through its troubles intact, but in America today, we just don't know. I find it interesting to write about money and how it causes trouble in a manner unlike anything else. Expect big battles and struggles at Ojai Foods, expect power grabs and deception.

3: Finally, Brothers & Sisters is about how we define and redefine family today. Expect us to go deeper into exploring the re-invention of the American family in the 21st century. Divorce in America is rampant. It's hard to love and to be loved; the available list of distractions grows exponentially every day. You can watch TV, become a sex addict, drink, be a workaholic or a celibate monk. But Brothers & Sisters proposes that there is great comfort and safety to be found in the warm embrace of a family, the place where you are known, and finally, where you are accepted and forgiven — where you are loved. The betrayals exist. And so does the love. Someone is gay and that is simply part of the fact of who they are, not a scarlet letter or source of shame; someone is a favorite child, someone is not, but they all battle their limitations and learn from one another. They come together. They laugh. They fight. And they love. As the great poet W.H. Auden wrote, "We must love one another and die." And that's what the show is about; none of us live forever, and the only thing we can control is how we lived, and how we loved.

We at Brothers & Sisters are deeply grateful that audiences are watching and growing every week. We knew there was a place for what we do. The show can be funny, it can be emotional, but we are committed to never condescending to our audience, and never underestimating the intelligence and generosity of that audience. We think we're going to be around for a long time, and that the Walkers' journey mirrors our own in this new and exhilarating, frustrating century.

P.S. Just got back to the office. Nobody even missed me.

http://community.tvguide.com/forum.jspa?forumID=700009576

fredfa

11-13-06, 12:41 AM

The Business of TV
NFL Net Cries Foul at MSOs
Football Network Belongs on Sports Tier, Say Time Warner Cable, Other Operators
By Allison J. Waldman Special to Television Week Nov. 13, 2006

A battle is taking place in cable television between two entertainment powerhouses: the NFL Network and operators led by Time Warner Cable that refuse to add the 3-year-old sports channel to their basic packages.

The dispute is depriving millions of football fans of access to the NFL's 24-hour network, which this year has exclusive broadcast rights to eight prime-time games.

"The NFL Network has not budged from their original demand, which is that we put the channel on our standard tier of service at a figure that would amount to about $140 million from us," said Mark Harrad, senior VP of corporate communications for Time Warner. "We believe strongly that the NFL Network belongs on a sports tier, where the customers that are true fans and want to see those particular eight games have a chance to get it and pay a fee for it, rather than have all of our customers pay a higher fee by virtue of putting it on a standard tier where there isn't a high demand for all they offer."

"I think it's more of a philosophical difference than financial, and I say that based on the fact that we do have 140 cable companies who've agreed to carry us," said NFL Network spokesman Seth Palansky. "Comcast, the country's largest; Cox Cable; Adelphia ... it's not like they haven't agreed. They all agreed on terms, including DirecTV and Dish and Verizon and ATT, etc. They carry us broadly and don't relegate us to a failed experiment known as a sports tier. Less than 1 percent of consumers in this country who have a chance to get a sports tier actually subscribe to it. It does not work."

The NFL Network offers more than the eight exclusive games. "We charge cable operators the equivalent of a movie ticket for a year. For that, we give them NFL Network for the year, our high-definition feed, all our video-on-demand content, which is the No. 1-rated sports content on-demand," Mr. Palansky said. "It includes game highlights of every game, 15-minute versions delivered midnight on Sunday to all our cable affiliates. And we give them several minutes of commercial time every hour on our air, every day, 365 days a year, including our most highly rated shows on those nights. They can sell the ad inventory, keep the revenue from that to offset the movie ticket cost we offer. Now, if this wasn't a fair value proposition, we don't think we'd have 140 cable companies signed up and delivering it."

Time Warner is not convinced. "Our point is that 100 percent of our customers don't watch the NFL," Mr. Harrad said. "In fact, about 20 percent at the most are really sports fans, so since sports programming is so out of proportionally more costly than other kinds of programming, why not put sports programming on a tier where only sports fans will have to pay?"

NFL game ratings are 61 percent higher than those for the average prime-time show, according to NFL Network.

"We take offense to it that the cable community is doing this," Mr. Palansky said. "The popularity of our programming should not be called into question here. Our opening game, just a regular-season game, outrated every single NBA Finals game from the past 15 NBA championships."

Still, some cable companies are committed to the sports tier. "We think the elegant solution is the sports tier," Time Warner's Mr. Harrad said. "The people who want the NFL Network can have it; it is more expensive, but it's packaged in a tier with the NBA channel and college sports programming. For the people who don't want it, they don't have to see it on the bottom line of their standard tier cable bill."

Mr. Palansky and the NFL Network don't want fans to think that they are being bilked. "The cable operators want to charge $10 extra a month on a sports tier and let the consumer pay 12 times the amount they're paying for the NFL Network," he said. "Unfortunately, those consumers-our fans-will believe that it's the NFL passing along those costs, and the truth is a movie ticket a year. If you ask any consumer if a movie ticket is good value for all that we're offering, I would guarantee that 98 percent would agree it is."

Mr. Harrad acknowledges the appeal of the channel. "We would like to be able to carry the NFL Network," he said. "I hope that's apparent. We have nothing derogatory to say about the content that they have on now or what they may have in the future. Our point is that we cannot afford to pay extraordinary prices for sports networks. Those prices will go to the bottom line of all of our customers."

In an interesting turn, Time Warner recently added a new sports channel to its basic programming in New York. "Their argument is that costly sports networks should go on a sports tier," Mr. Palansky said, "but it's funny that when Time Warner launched SportsNet New York in the New York market-their Mets games-it got on expanded cable and went to everyone. They didn't raise their customers' rates."

DirecTV deal Questioned

At the same time, Mr. Harrad questioned why, if the NFL cares about serving all of its fans, it has an exclusive deal with DirecTV Sunday Ticket subs. "If the goal of the NFL was to get all of their fans access to all of their games, then why have they been selling the Sunday Ticket exclusively to DirecTV since 1994?" he asked. "There are 238 out-of-market games that you can't get no matter where you live or what cable system you have unless you buy DirecTV. It's a little hypocritical."

The NFL Network will televise the first of its eight exclusive games Nov. 23. At that point, the voice of football fans who don't have the network is likely to be added to the debate.

"We're dealing with the world's largest media company and they're pretty much running monopolies in a lot of cases," Mr. Palansky said. "The cable companies are doing exactly what they want. In no way is this a fair system, and it's because Time Warner has so much power in the cable world. We'll see who blinks first. Still, I think at the end of the day they'll be stuck carrying it, and in truth, the terms are going to get worse for the cable operator, not better, as time goes by."

"I hope the issue between NFL Network and Time Warner gets resolved soon, but the broader issue of sports programming and the cost they charge cable for licensing fees-there's something about that economic model that seems to be broken," Mr. Harrad said.

While both the NFL Network and Time Warner are resolute in their positions, some observers believe a negotiated settlement is not far off. Rick Gentile, a former executive producer for CBS Sports who is now a professor at Seton Hall University, is one such observer. "In all the negotiations in the past between cable systems and networks, whether new networks or growing networks, it always comes down to the network wanting to receive more from the cable system and the cable system wanting to put them on a digital tier," he said.

In New York, for instance, Cablevision battled with the New York Yankees' YES Network for months before a deal was struck. "The bottom line is that there will be a negotiation," Mr. Gentile said. "It might take some time, but they will come to a number because (a) the NFL Network needs to be on Time Warner and (b) Time Warner needs to have the NFL Network on its systems. There will be a deal made.

"I think it'll happen by Thanksgiving because that first NFL Network game is that night," he said. "If it doesn't happen by Thanksgiving, it'll happen between the first game on Thanksgiving night and their next game."

http://www.tvweek.com/article.cms?articleId=30855

fredfa

11-13-06, 12:46 AM

Fox Hopes Spring Eternal Yet Again

Odds in Network's Favor Despite Rough Start s
By James Hibberd Television Week November 13, 2006

All bets are off for Fox scheduling chief Preston Beckman this year.

Last fall, ABC programming chief Steve McPherson bet Mr. Beckman a $400 bottle of wine that Mr. Beckman's fourth-ranked Fox network would once again make a spectacular spring comeback to win the season from Mr. McPherson's own top-rated ABC.

Feeling less than certain about Fox's prospects, Mr. Beckman accepted the unusual wager, in which each man bet against his own network.

By the end of May, Mr. Beckman was out $400, yet riding high on another season victory.

This season, however, the odds against Fox are stacked even higher. Season to date among adults 18 to 49, Fox is down 9 percent from 2005 (which itself was down 16 percent from 2004), according to Nielsen Media Research. For the first eight days of the sweeps, Fox is down 14 percent and in fourth place while ABC continues to lead.

That doesn't mean Fox won't resurrect its ratings in another springtime miracle. Analysts, in fact, are betting on it-though once again Mr. Beckman is not.

"I don't anticipate winning the season," said Mr. Beckman, who is executive VP of strategic program planning. "But I have to believe as we come down the stretch we will be very competitive."

Industry experts are somewhat more confident. Asked whether Fox will still win, Shari Anne Brill, VP and director of programming for Carat North America, gave a quick affirmative.

"Granted, this year they've had more of a fall-off, but [most of] the other networks are down too," she said. "Last year `American Idol' and `24' tweaked their formulas in just the right ways, and this year NBC won't have football in the spring."

Yet Brad Adgate, VP of research for Horizon Media, was more concerned. "They're putting a lot of expectations on the continued audience growth of `American Idol' to get them out of this typical fourth-quarter hole that they've dug themselves into," he said. "And how much longer can you ask [`Idol'] to do that?"

Even for a network accustomed to meandering in fourth place during the fall while the other broadcasters fire away with their best shows, this fall has been a struggle.

Major-league baseball gave Fox the lowest-rated World Series to date. Of Fox's six new fall shows, not one has broken from the pack. And the dismal return on one former hit, "The O.C.," resulted in a network television ratings rarity: a premiere episode that set a record low for an entire series to date.

Mr. Beckman said only two of the new shows-the hostage negotiator dramedy "Standoff" and the Brad Garrett sitcom `"Til Death"-will likely still be on the schedule come January.

"We took three returning dramas and put them at 8 p.m. and gave three new dramas the lead-in," he said. "The end results were not as encouraging as we hoped they would be. We hoped that baseball, with the right teams, we might be able to talk to viewers who might actually watch the shows.

"At the end of the quarter we'll be fairly close to where we were last year."

Fox debuted "House" in fall 2004 and in 2005 introduced "Prison Break." As for which, if any, of the fall dramas might break out, Mr. Beckman noted that "House" took months to gain traction and that "Standoff" has shown some growth potential.

As for "The O.C.," the show was moved back to its usual Wednesday night slot last week after a disastrous Thursday night premiere and unfortunately still pulled the same rating, a 1.5.

"We knew it was going to get hammered," Mr. Beckman said. "We felt there would be enough of an audience to keep the ember burning in that time period. We'll probably make the decision to keep it on Wednesday for rest of the quarter."

Conversely, sweeps leader ABC is stuck with the opposite problem. The network is riding high for the moment, but analysts are concerned that come spring, "Lost," is going to take a ratings beating.

This season the network opted to split the season between six consecutive episodes in the fall and 16 in the spring. But with the first episodes off 24 percent from last year, it's unclear whether such a strategy is going to pay off.

"The [scheduling] poster child for serialized shows is `24,"' Mr. Beckman said. "A show like `Lost' or `Jericho' is taking a risk ... and when it comes back, they're going up against `American Idol' every week."

http://www.tvweek.com/article.cms?articleId=30843

fredfa

11-13-06, 12:55 AM

TV Notebook
Success — or failure — of TV season up in the air

By Gary Levin USA Today

NBC's Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip is one of this season's most high-profile shows, yet its audience has dropped by nearly half since its September premiere.

ABC's Men in Trees is averaging 7 million viewers and finishes third in its time slot.

Yet both shows were extended for full seasons late last week in a strange TV season that has seen a couple of breakout hits but plenty of other series that are still sticking around despite middling ratings.

"We're trying to be patient," ABC Entertainment president Steve McPherson says. "Creatively, everyone feels, across the networks, that this crop of freshman shows is strong."

Networks typically order 13 episodes of new series in May, then wait to see how they perform before committing to the additional nine episodes required for a full season.

And borderline ratings make the decisions more difficult.

"This year there's been very few clear successes," says NBC Entertainment president Kevin Reilly, who boasts one of them in Heroes.

Tipping the balance for also-rans: Their creative potential, ratings trend and how they compare with lead-in shows or former time-slot occupants.

"You get to a batch of shows that are either shows you believe in and want to stick around ... or others that are fighting for their lives and you have creative issues to work out," he says. "You can only nurture so many."

Some serialized dramas have faced a particularly tough time, with Kidnapped, Vanished and Six Degrees gone or on the way out and The Nine, Friday Night Lights and others struggling. That has led programmers and advertisers to question whether the commitment they demand asks too much of viewers.

"The transcendent theme of the new season is that the quality is one of the best in years, and quantitatively it's one of the most disappointing in years," says ad-buying chief John Rash of Campbell Mithun in Minneapolis.

"The very nature of what made the season so compelling — ambitious and addictive serialized dramas — has made many viewers adopt none of them because their media menu is so full."

Confounding the trend, serialized Heroes is this season's biggest hit, and CBS' Jericho is a sleeper, suggesting viewers are willing to dive into some series.

But McPherson theorizes it's not the format but the tone that may have made others off-putting: Heroes and Ugly Betty are "fun, wish-fulfillment, lighter, really enjoyable rides," while several faltering dramas are "tougher subject matter."

"You do feel like society now is in a Depression-era mentality, even though we're not in a depression. People seem to be so down on things, maybe there's a desire to get more escapism."

http://www.usatoday.com/life/television/news/2006-11-12-TV-new-series_x.htm

fredfa

11-13-06, 01:01 AM

TV Notebook
What's up with new series
By Gary Levin USA Today

TV networks this month must deliver remaining verdicts on this season's crop of new shows.

USA TODAY delivers a report card, with a plus sign (+) for shows that will survive come January, an "x" for casualties or others on their way out, and a question mark (?) for those too soon to tell.

ABC

+ Ugly Betty (14.3 million). Betty's about to be overtaken by Heroes as TV's top newcomer, but delivers a huge increase to ABC on Thursdays and is Survivor's biggest challenger in years.

+ Brothers & Sisters (13.4 million). Though it loses nearly 40% of its Desperate Housewives lead-in, the show has leveled off with solid numbers, wins its time slot among young-adult viewers and has built audience for the last two weeks.

? Help Me Help You (10.5 million). Ted Danson therapist comedy has been a too-modest performer behind big Dancing With the Stars.

? The Nine (9.2 million). Acclaimed drama about hostage survivors has been bleeding viewers from Lost and slipping in its second half-hour each week. But quality might earn it a reprieve.

x Six Degrees (9.6 million). Another big lead-in loser, serialized Six suffered post-Grey's Anatomy and is off the schedule, to be replaced by Men in Trees. ABC promises remaining episodes will return in January.

+ Men in Trees (7.5 million). The lowest-rated of ABC's new shows is hampered by a weak Friday time slot, but new pairing with Grey's on Thursdays will give Trees a chance to grow.

NBC

+ Heroes (14.3 million). The season's biggest new hit among younger viewers, it's a slam-dunk and sorely needed hit at third-ranked network.

+ Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip (10.1 million). Insider look at late-night comedy series is fall's most high-profile show, so the network gave it a vote of confidence in exchange for a lower price tag.

? Friday Night Lights (6.1 million). Classy high school football drama fumbled with viewers, and NBC is weighing whether to be patient.

? 30 Rock ( 6.2 million). Despite subpar numbers, NBC has reason to stand behind its only remaining new comedy and will order more episodes if this week's move to Thursday pans out.

x 20 Good Years (5.5 million). Wrong network, wrong time slot, wrong show. Ended its run two weeks ago.

x Kidnapped (6.6 million). Quickly dispatched abduction whodunit couldn't even ride out its shortened run on Saturday.

Fox

+ Standoff (8.9 million). Network is happy with romantic hostage drama's creative direction; prospects improving for a full season, but on a new night.

x Justice (7.4 million). Move to Monday didn't help. Drama about rich defense lawyers springing rich clients didn't click and has been canceled.

x Vanished (7 million). Vanishing in new Friday slot, as mystery — and series —end prematurely next month.

? 'Til Death (6.4 million). Jury still out on Brad Garrett sitcom, but it will probably cheat death despite low ratings.

x Happy Hour (5 million). Death's Thursday companion was yanked after a single post-World Series episode.

CW

+ The Game (2.6 million). Underwhelming early numbers offset by its comfy role as the fourth wheel in CW's Monday sitcom block.

x Runaway (2 million). Serialized family drama thriller long gone, after three heinously low-rated episodes.

CBS

+ Shark (13.8 million). It's no Without a Trace, but James Woods' legal drama matches ER among all viewers and is holding steady.

+ Jericho (11.1 million). Small-town drama about aftermath of a nuclear attack is something of a sleeper, improving its time slot by 50% and helping its growing companion, Criminal Minds.

x Smith (10 million). Third-place heist drama didn't connect with viewers, or the network. Replaced this week by new 3 Lbs.

? The Class (8.3 million). Hotly pursued sitcom from Friends creator has been a disappointment, despite a time-slot change.

http://www.usatoday.com/life/television/news/2006-11-12-new-series-report-card_x.htm

fredfa

11-13-06, 01:50 AM

TV Notebook
Fox Falls Into Its 'Flailing Cycle'
By John Consoli Media Week Nov. 13, 2006

Fox is suffering through its annual post-baseball prime-time “flailing cycle,” mired in fourth-place among the five broadcast networks. Fourth-quarter ratings in the advertiser-desired adults 18-49 demo are a full rating point and three share points behind first-place ABC (3.9/11 vs. 2.9/8).

Fourth place at this time of year is not unusual for Fox, and neither is first place at the end of May. In recent years, aided by the January ratings juggernaut American Idol, Fox has come back to win the 18-49 title for the season.

But this season, Fox is further behind ABC than it was last year at this point, when ABC’s lead was only eight-tenths of a rating point and two share points. And ABC, which no longer has ratings juggernaut Monday Night Football in fourth quarter, will not suffer the 18-49 ratings fall-off of recent years when football left the schedule in January. Fox is also 0.8 of a rating point behind CBS (last season it trailed CBS by 0.6 at this point), and CBS will be carrying Super Bowl XLI this season. That means Fox has a lot to overcome.

Right now, other than dramas House and, to a lesser extent, Bones, very little is working for Fox. The heavily male-oriented Sunday comedy/animation block, hurt by NBC’s new Sunday Night Football telecasts, is down 6 percent among adults 18-49 and is cumulatively off 900,000 viewers. And moving its 9 p.m. hit drama Prison Break to 8 p.m. this year in order to try to launch a new drama series, Vanished, has resulted in a 14 percent ratings decline for Prison Break. Even more troubling, none of its new series have broken out. New drama Standoff, the network’s highest ranking new show among adults 18-49, is drawing a mere 2.8. And younger skewing veteran drama The O.C., which returned two weeks ago, is averaging only a 1.4 in 18-49s, more than 50 percent lower than last season.

“We are now in our annual flailing cycle,” acknowledged Preston Beckman, senior vp for strategic program planning at Fox. “We will always, because of having to pre-empt a good portion of our scripted shows in October for the Major League Baseball post-season, go into January with a ratings disadvantage because of the disruption of the schedule.”

And this season, Beckman explained, “If we are guilty of anything, it’s of being a little too mainstream with our new shows. We picked our best testing pilots, which were more traditional TV dramas, and moved our highest rated returning shows to 8 p.m. to lead into those new dramas. I think next season we will go back to at least a few more Fox-type shows that push the envelope.”

Beckman added that Fox also was not helped by MLB’s post-season, which drew some of the lowest ratings ever. There will be less post-season baseball on Fox next fall under its new TV rights deal, which should help with its scheduling continuity.

But Beckman said he expects to gain ground very quickly in January. “ABC does not have the Super Bowl this year and the Super Bowl can mean as much as two-tenths of a rating point,” Beckman said. “We have the college Bowl Championship Series national title game, which ABC had last year. We premiere 24 in January, have a prime-time NFL playoff game that month, and will premiere Idol with a two-hour episode on Jan. 16, with another two-hour show the following night. By Jan. 18, I think it’s reasonable to say we will no longer be a full rating point behind ABC.”

The media buying community generally agrees that Fox’s fortunes will likely improve. “Sunday Night Football is going off after the fourth quarter, so Fox’s animation block will benefit from that,” said Steve Sternberg, executive vp and director of audience analysis at Magna Global USA. “ABC’s Monday is now primarily driven by women, and ESPN’s Monday Night Football will be over, so 24, with a more male audience, should benefit from that. As long as American Idol does not decline significantly, Fox should be right in the middle of the 18-49 race from January on.”

Brad Adgate, senior vp, director of research at Horizon Media, also sees Fox in the hunt, but said there will be a point at which even Idol begins to lose some audience. “Nothing continues to go up year after year in prime-time television, and Idol has increased its audience four years in a row. At some point, you can’t expect it to keep growing the way it has.”

Adgate does credit Fox with not resorting to its strategy in years’ past of replacing sagging scripted shows with shlocky reality. “Sticking with even lower-rated scripted shows gives the network a better image,” he said.

Beckman said the network will stick with that plan, but he concedes that probably only one of its three new dramas will survive. While he declined to identify those to be cut, it seems likely Standoff will probably get the coveted American Idol lead-out slot in January in an attempt to grow its audience. Beckman also said the network plans to be “patient” with freshman sitcom ’Til Death, and will keep The O.C. on board to finish out the season.

Beckman said unlike last season when no new dramas premiered after fourth quarter, Fox has committed to two new mid-season dramas, Drive and The Wedding Store. The network, he added also has two new sitcoms in the works.

The ratings shortfalls have forced Fox to give makegoods to some advertisers, particularly those not in packages that contain American Idol or those that need immediate audience deficiency units. But the network may not be in such bad shape because many agencies negotiated for fourth quarter based on Fox’s end-of year history.

http://www.mediaweek.com/mw/news/recent_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1003380846

fredfa

11-13-06, 08:44 AM

TV Notebook
I'm Lost
By Marc Berman Media Week Nov. 13, 2006

If you read the programming insider, you are aware that ABC is re-placing Lost, effective this week—and for the next three months—with Day Break, a new drama with Taye Diggs as a framed detective reliving the same bad day over and over again. You would be aware because I have not stopped complaining about it since I heard about this plan last May. But after spending six more confusing episodes with the once ground-breaking drama, I am ready for a break. Given the ratings backlash, I am sure other viewers feel the exact same way.

Although ABC will be quick to remind you that Lost is still a top 10-rated show, season to-date (based on original vs. original episodes through the week of Oct. 30) it is down year-to-year by a considerable 4.2 million viewers (to 16 million) and 24 percent in the key adults 18-49 demo (8.5 rating to 6.5), according to Nielsen Media Research data. That makes it one of the fastest deteriorating shows in prime time. To add salt to the wound, CBS' competing—and skyrocketing—Criminal Minds has inched past Lost in total viewers, with 16.5 million. Comparatively, that's an increase of over 4 million viewers year-to-year.

So, as we head into the world of TV temporarily minus Lost, you have to wonder: Will absence fuel interest in one of ABC's key building blocks for the future? Or will the fans fed up with the endless unsolved mysteries forget about Lost during its hiatus? Don't forget, of course, that by the time Lost returns, that little show on Fox called American Idol will be back competing with it.

Prior to the start of the season, I would have sworn on a stack of bibles that fans would be gathered around their TVs for Lost, no matter how long we had to wait. But by throwing in too many new plot lines and additional characters, while not giving viewers definitive answers on any of the unsolved mysteries (Nothing. Nada. Zilch!) I think more viewers—by the millions, even—are getting ready to jump ship. Here's why:

1) We finally got to meet the "Others." But who are they? Where did they come from? How long have they been there? And why are they out to get these innocent plane crash survivors?

2) Last season we learned about something called the Dharma Initiative. What is it? Who is behind it? And are the Others a part of it?

3) We finally got a glimpse of the "monster," a twisted, bizarre mass of smoke that violently kills people, with Mr. Eko its latest victim. But what is it? Where did it come from? And do the Others or the people behind the Dharma Initiative know about it?

And since I am asking questions: Why does the island mysteriously cure people of their ailments, like Locke being able to walk and Rose being cured of her cancer? Why can Desmond see into the future? Where is the crazy Frenchwoman? What happened to Michael and Walt? What is the deal with Hurley's cursed numbers? Why are there polar bears on the island?

Do you get my point?

I have always said that even a bad episode of Lost is better than most dramas currently airing. But what started as a must-see hour about 48 survivors of a plane crash on a mysterious island in the South Pacific has morphed into a show loaded with too many twists, not enough resolution and ongoing plots that seem to be hatched up (no pun intended) at the very last minute. It's become infuriating.

And it reminds me of another ABC show that started off strong in 1990, but spun out of control with nonsensical story lines and no resolution in season two: Twin Peaks.

Lost creator J.J. Abrams once told me he had the first five years of Lost all mapped out, But I am beginning to think—and others have said this as well—that the writers are making it up as they go along. So, if I may speak on behalf of the fans who would love to become addicted to Lost again: Please—and I'm begging—give us some answers, and do so immediately upon the show's return. Otherwise, the frustration will result in more defections. Stop teasing us with more oddities until you give us some real answers. A good mystery can only go so far without some resolution.

Here is what I suggest when Lost returns in February: 1) Give us the real background on the Others. 2) Tell us why the island has magical healing powers. And, 3) Delve deeper into the Dharma Initiative. Once you give us some answers, I'll be ready for a whole new can of worms. And I bet others will be ready, too.

http://www.mediaweek.com/mw/departments/columns/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1003380927

dad1153

11-13-06, 08:53 AM

TV Notebook
What's up with new series
By Gary Levin USA Today

Fox

x Justice (7.4 million). Move to Monday didn't help. Drama about rich defense lawyers springing rich clients didn't click and has been canceled.

Uhh, when did Fox cancel 'Justice'? I'd read late last week that Fox was pre-empting it for November sweeps with repeats of 'House' but not pulling the plug for good. Shame, this seemed like the type of show that could take off on Mondays after 'Monday Night Football' ended or in another time slot (9PM Monday is packed!). I was planning to catch repeats of it (or new unaired episodes) in December but I guess not all Bruckheimer procedurals are guaranteed hits anymore.

The Business of TV
NFL Net Cries Foul at MSOs
Football Network Belongs on Sports Tier, Say Time Warner Cable, Other Operators
By Allison J. Waldman Special to Television Week Nov. 13, 2006

I used to side with the NFL Network because the Time Warner execs were such a vacuous bunch of corporate BS spinners. I mean, why can't they just come out and say 'our goal is to maximize our profits by spending as little money as possible in areas controlled by our cable monopoly'? But the NFL Network's arrogance in believing it can buy anything it wants with its corporate BS is becoming just as insulting as Time Warner's. I really hope they at least strike a deal to somehow just carry the eight Thursday night games this year and then go back to bargaining for next season. Regardless, the moment FIOS or a viable alternative to my TWC cable becomes available (satellite is troublesome to get installed in certain NYC apartment buildings like mine) I'm soooooooooo gonna enjoy making that call to TWC telling them where to stuff their Scientific Atlantic boxes. :D

fredfa

11-13-06, 10:00 AM

I think it was late Friday that it became known that Fox was halting production of "Justice" after the initial order of 13 episodes.
Rarely does a network actually announce a show's cancellation. And when it does actualy do the deed, it often does it just as the weekend hits and word tends to leak out.
So it was this past weekend with "Justice".

fredfa

11-13-06, 10:30 AM

TV Sports
NBC benefits from flexible Sunday night football scheduling
By Michael Hiestand USA Today Nov. 13, 2006

The NFL's new flexible scheduling is now closer to showing its true colors.

Sunday's Week 10 Chicago-New York Giants prime-time game on NBC was the debut of flex-scheduling. It was created to at least keep the league's broadcast network prime-time showcase — now NBC on Sundays — from getting stuck with dud matchups.

Or it could do more. Will the NFL take top games away from Fox and CBS on Sunday afternoons and give them to NBC to give the league the biggest splash possible on TV's most-watched night?

There are lots of details, like Fox — whose late Sunday game slot is the highest-rated NFL TV window — and CBS each having had to pick in Week 4 which five games each would protect over the seven weeks of flexing. And there are restrictions, such as three teams being allowed to appear in prime time six times — but only four times on NBC. How NBC's schedule, in which it inherits games 12 days in advance, might unfold:

• NBC's Week 11 is a no-brainer. Its earmarked game — woeful Washington at Tampa — was dumped, replaced by (CBS') San Diego-Denver.

• In Week 12, Philadelphia-Indianapolis was tentatively scheduled for NBC. Obviously, NBC keeps the marquee Colts, and the Eagles helped by winning Sunday.

• In Week 13, NBC gets Seattle-Denver, while Fox protects Cowboys-Giants and CBS won't protect. NBC will likely stick, given the next-best game seems only to be (Fox's) Minnesota-Chicago — but the Vikings lost Sunday to Green Bay.

• In Week 14, NBC's tentatively scheduled New England-Miami game should go. Or should it? The Patriots are TV stars, and Miami (3-6) did beat Kansas City on Sunday. So, for now, it seems OK.

Meaning, if the NFL replaces that game with, say, (CBS') Indianapolis-Jacksonville or (Fox's) New Orleans-Dallas or some other game looking hot, then flexing will reveal itself as something meant mainly to pump up prime time on NBC.

Say what?

Cable channel CSTV, through its Mountain West Conference deal, had Notre Dame's game at Air Force on Saturday — the first time since 1992 that an Irish game didn't appear on ABC, CBS, ESPN or NBC. CSTV's Trev Alberts opened coverage talking about why Notre Dame's Heisman hopeful is such a great quarterback. That player is Brady Quinn. But Alberts called him "Tom Brady." ... After TNT NBA announcer Marv Albert noted Cleveland coach Mike Brown has 22 pairs of glasses he's color-coded to fit his wardrobe, TNT's Steve Kerr made a less-than-obvious analogy: "I think serial killers share those same tendencies."

On tap:

The Tampa Bay-Carolina game tonight on ESPN's Monday Night Football might not seem compelling. But for ESPN — next year inheriting NASCAR races from NBC — everything is a promotional opportunity. NASCAR racer Jeff Gordon will be MNF's celebrity booth guest, and there'll be a feature on Joe Theismann going to Richard Petty's driving school. ... The YES Network, which carries New York Yankees games regionally, will officially name a replacement for the retired Jim Kaat. A logical choice: Ex-Florida manager Joe Girardi— a good guest analyst on Fox's playoffs.

Clip 'n' save:

CBS NFL "insider" Charley Casserly said Sunday that if Bill Cowher quits coaching Pittsburgh, the Steelers will promote offensive coordinator Ken Whisenhunt to head coach.

Back story:

On coverage of the Major League Soccer title game Sunday on ABC, ex-U.S. World Cup team coach Bruce Arena worked with Eric Wynalda, the ESPN analyst who ripped Arena as a coach during Cup TV coverage. It made for an interesting subtext, such as when Arena told Wynalda: "You know me; I don't always make the right (coaching) decision. That's why I'm in the booth."

Long shot:

Rutgers somehow making college football's Bowl Championship Series title game might create a marketing problem for Fox, which has the BCS title game and touts it by airing college highlights on its NFL pregame show.

But Rutgers' win Thursday against Louisville on ESPN drew 4.9 million households — ESPN's third-largest audience for a college football game. Rutgers gets more ESPN prime-time exposure when it plays Saturday at Cincinnati. Now No. 6 in the BCS, Rutgers could be marketed as the ultimate Cinderella in the title game. But Barry Alvarez, who'll call that game, said the obvious on Fox Sunday: It will be "very difficult" for Rutgers make it.

http://www.usatoday.com/sports/columnist/hiestand-tv/2006-11-13-flex-schedule_x.htm

fredfa

11-13-06, 10:40 AM

Sunday’s metered market over-night prime-time ratings – and Media Week Analyst Marc Berman’s view of what they mean -- have been posted just under the HD Football listings near the top of Ratings News the first post in this thread.

dad1153

11-13-06, 10:58 AM

There seems to be something wrong with the colors/fonts of the first story Fred. I know its Monday morning but still... ;)

fredfa

11-13-06, 11:16 AM

thanks for noticing, dad...got it fixed.

fredfa

11-13-06, 11:20 AM

TV Notebook
New gig makes Rather feel like a 'cub reporter'
By Peter Johnson USA Today

Yes, Dan Rather said recently over a bowl of chili at a Manhattan restaurant, he has heard the sniping about him and his new venture on HDNet television, which kicks off Tuesday at 8 p.m. ET/5 PT.

To some, the specter of the longtime CBS Evening News anchor hosting a one-hour news program, Dan Rather Reports, on a start-up network that reaches just 4 million viewers on cable and satellite is not worth much discussion.

"By the standards of where I worked, they just pooh-pooh the entire idea. 'Yes, he's working, but it's irrelevant,' " Rather says matter-of-factly. "In baseball terms, 'He's pitching in a Mexican league.' "

But Rather, who turned 75 on Oct. 31, says that he still feels relevant and that in a fast-changing media world the appeal of high-definition TV is bound to grow, much as color caught on in the early '60s when most TVs were still black-and-white.

The gig that HDNet TV founder Mark Cuban has handed him in a three-year deal — "do good journalism and don't worry about ratings, demographics or advertising" — is about a good at it gets in TV news, Rather says.

Neither Rather nor the network could say, as of Sunday, what stories would be featured on Tuesday's opener. Rather says each program will mix "hard-edged reports" on a world hot spot, an investigative piece, an interview and a news analysis — all reported by him.

"Stop and think about it for a minute," Rather says. "I don't know any other journalist who has this. I feel like a proverbial cub reporter trying to make it."

Cuban says he chose Rather because "I wanted someone who had a track record and could get the job done, someone who felt they had something to prove and energy to follow through. Dan was the perfect solution."

Harvard media analyst Alex Jones says Rather's "main motivation is not to let the bitter ending at CBS be his last journalistic chapter. ... I think he has something to prove, and I hope he proves it."

Rather concedes as much, noting that with 56 years of reporting under his belt, he has no interest in being remembered as the journalist whose career was bloodied in the aftermath of the Memogate scandal that ended his run at CBS News in 2005.

He has moved on, he says and his years at CBS News "are way in the distance in my rear-view mirror." But in the past two months, while preparing stories for Reports, "almost nobody" brought up the scandal, in which documents that could not be verified were cited on 60 Minutes to question President Bush's military service.

"History is going to judge what happened to us and to me, and I'm at peace with that and the judgment."

'60 Minutes' salutes Ed Bradley

Sunday's 60 Minutes was devoted to longtime correspondent Ed Bradley, who died Thursday of leukemia at 65. Although a few CBS News executives were privy to Bradley's declining health, many at CBS News were not. "He kept the leukemia secret from most of his colleagues, but the seriousness of the illness that took his life only became known within the past few weeks, when the disease turned aggressive, and he began to go downhill," 60 Minutes producer Jeff Fager said.

In Sunday's salute, Steve Kroft spoke to Bradley's close friends, musician Jimmy Buffett, journalist Charlayne Hunter-Gault and jazz musician Wynton Marsalis.

Morley Safer reviewed Bradley's body of work, while Lesley Stahl looked back on Bradley's rise from a tough Philadelphia neighborhood to one of America's best-known television personalities, and Andy Rooney weighed in with a personal remembrance.

http://www.usatoday.com/life/columnist/mediamix/2006-11-12-media-mix_x.htm

fredfa

11-13-06, 11:27 AM

Reviews: A Second Look
'Heroes,' unfolding to reveal its depth
Revisited, the NBC drama has resolved issues
By Andrew Lyons MediaLife Magazine Nov 13, 2006

This is certainly the most adventuresome broadcast season in terms of new shows, with the networks taking chances as never before. It's the season of the serialized movie: The creators are attempting to write movies for television that can be spun out in segments as part of a season-long saga.

That's tough to do, akin to building a model ship in a bottle. The movie has to work, then the pieces have to be let out in just the right order. That gets even tougher when the storylines are complicated, like NBC's "Heroes."

"Heroes" was one of those shows, like "Friday Night Lights" and "The Nine," that got a fair amount of pre-season buzz. But like those others, its premiere episode was problematic as it unfolded.

The series focuses on everyday people who discover they have suddenly been bestowed with uncanny abilities. Slowly they learn that their collective fate is to save the world from an as-yet undetermined threat. The “Heroes” premiere had an ambitious storyline, effective, mostly understated acting and a lush, rich look.

But while some of the characters were fully drawn, full of anxiety and apprehension about their new lives, others were two-dimensional. In particular, Japanese office drone Hiro (Masi Oka), who can freeze time, and New York hospice nurse Peter (Milo Ventimiglia), who can absorb the abilities of others, seemed too unquestioningly enthusiastic about their gifts.

One had to wonder, as the initial Media Life review did, whether the whole thing would rise up and collapse under the weight of its ambition, devolving into a visually arresting comic book.

That has not happened. "Heroes" is maturing into a smart adult fantasy series.

From the first, the show's strength was its confidence in its mythology. The writers clearly knew where they wanted to take this epic story. They are doing that. Their self-confidence has enabled them to bounce among a dozen major characters without losing dramatic tension. "Heroes" unfolds smartly. The storyline is detailed but not so convoluted that missing one episode will prevent one from keeping up.

And while Hiro (apparently a fan favorite) continues to be simplistically drawn, the other weak character, Peter, has become more deeply aware of his gift’s consequences. That's made him darker and at the same time more convincing. His turn reflects the maturing of the series, and also its growing strength in the ratings. It is the highest-rated new show among adults 18-49s and has hit series highs the past two weeks.

More problematic is "Friday Night Lights” (Tuesdays at 8 on NBC). It continues to struggle in the ratings.

"Lights" is a more conventional serialized drama without an overarching mythology, unless one counts high school football as a mythology. The people of Dillon, Texas, clearly do.

"Lights” is as much about how the religion of football affects small-town relationships as it is about football itself.

"Lights" began strong and it continues to gain creatively. The show is nearly pitch-perfect at capturing how the success or failure of 17-year-old boys on a rectangular field can affect relationships, jobs and lives. The writing, acting and cinematography perfectly match the show's understated tone.

The impressive, mostly unknown cast follows the lead of Kyle Chandler as Coach Taylor, letting furrowed brows, averted glances and unspoken words tell the story, rather than giving in to clichés of rah-rah pep talks.

“Lights” is fearless in how it depicts the former star quarterback’s slow acceptance that his spinal injury has left him permanently paralyzed. “Lights” isn’t light stuff but it is good stuff, growing deeper and richer with each episode. While it continues to struggle in the ratings, NBC has ordered more episodes. It's currently averaging a 2.5 adults 18-49 rating but perhaps will tick up once timeslot competitor "Dancing with the Stars" exits this week. It's there for the audience to find, though it may take some time.

Were it only so for "The Nine,” (Wednesdays at 10 on ABC).

What began as a promising idea but with a problematic structure is sinking fast, dragged under by the flaws pointed out by Media Life in an earlier review at its debut. "Nine" seems to get thinner by the week.

The premise: Nine former bank robbery hostages form an intense connection because of the mysterious events that unfolded inside the bank. Through the season we learn bit by bit what actually happened that day as these characters are brought back together in their post-robbery lives.

Each episode opens with a brief flashback to what happened in the bank that day, then leaps forward to present day to delve into how those events have affected their lives.

The problem, of course, is that the most intense moments of any episode are in the opening scenes, and everything that follows seems diminished by contrast, the problems of the characters small potatoes. How could life not seem sweeter after two days where death seemed just moments away?

Despite solid, sometimes stellar acting--especially from Scott Wolf and Tim Daly--no amount of romantic or personal turmoil could match the intensity these people faced for those 52 hours. It’s a creative no-win situation for the writers.

What’s worse, the bank scenes are starting to lose their mojo too. The flashbacks in recent episodes have been consistently less heart-pounding than in the first few. Based on what’s been shown so far, it’s hard to believe that the hostage crisis would be so transformative as to make these people cling to each other afterwards.

More and more, the robbery looks like a cheap MacGuffin, merely a plot twist intended more to bait the audience than to keep it hooked. Its ratings reflect this.

"The Nine" is averaging a 3.4 18-49 rating and has been doing even worse in recent weeks, losing more than half of "Lost's" lead-in audience.

http://www.medialifemagazine.com/artman/publish/article_8485.asp

fredfa

11-13-06, 12:24 PM

Sunday’s updated fast national over night prime-time ratings – and Media Week Analyst Marc Berman’s view of what they mean -- have been posted just under the HD Football listings near the top of Ratings News the first post in this thread.

fredfa

11-13-06, 12:53 PM

Overnights in the 18-49 Demo
Kill time: Sizzle back on Wisteria Lane
ABC's 'Desperate Housewives' ties best rating
By Toni Fitzgerald MediaLifeMagazine.com staff writer Nov 13, 2006, 10:53

After sinking to a season and nearly series low a few weeks ago, ABC’s “Desperate Housewives” seems to be back on track, thanks in part to last week’s killer supermarket episode in which two minor characters were bumped off.

“Housewives” averaged a 9.0 last night, according to Nielsen overnights, equaling the 9.0 for the supermarket episode the week before and matching its best rating since its September debut.

Though “Housewives” still remains down from last season, it’s no longer losing audience. A month ago, it hit a low of 8.0. But the past three weeks it has gained or equaled the previous week’s 18-49 rating, and that’s come against two of the highest-rated “Sunday Night Football” games of the season on competing NBC.

Last night “Housewives” averaged 22.1 million total viewers, 400,000 fewer than the previous week.

After a backlash last season over what some considered the dulling of the show’s considerable wit, “Housewives” seems to have regained its creative spark this season, with creator Marc Cherry overseeing things more closely. The supermarket episode in particular received critical kudos, and perhaps some former fans who checked in to see who got killed stuck around this week.

“Housewives” helped ABC finish a close second for the evening to NBC, averaging a 5.7 rating and 14 share to the latter’s 5.8/14. Fox was third at 4.6/11, followed by CBS at 3.6/9 and Univision and the CW tied at 1.0/2.

Due to the live nature of sports programming on Fox and NBC, final ratings may change as fast nationals measure time period and not actual program data. Fox had runover from several NFL games, and NBC carried the New York Giants-Chicago Bears game.

At 7 p.m., Fox’s NFL overrun led with a 5.6, followed by NBC’s “Football Night in America” and CBS’s “60 Minutes” at 3.2, ABC’s “America’s Funniest Home Videos” at 3.1, Univision’s “La Hora Pico” at 1.1, and CW’s “Smallville” repeat at 0.7.

At 8 p.m., NBC’s final 15 minutes of “America” and the first 45 minutes of “SNF” led with a 6.3, followed by “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition” at 5.4, Fox’s “The Simpsons” (5.2) and “American Dad” (3.9) at 4.6, CBS’s “Amazing Race” at 3.4, CW’s “7th Heaven” at 1.4, and Univision’s “Reyes de la Cancion” at 0.9.

At 9 p.m., “Housewives” led with a 9.0, followed by NBC’s “SNF” at 7.0, CBS’s “Cold Case” at 3.7, Fox’s “Family Guy” (4.3) and “War at Home” (2.8) at 3.6, CW’s “America’s Next Top Model” rerun at 1.0, and Univision’s “Reyes” at 0.9.

At 10 p.m., NBC took the lead with “SNF’s” 6.7, followed by ABC’s 5.2 for “Brothers & Sisters,” CBS’s 4.1 for “Without a Trace,” and Univision’s “Reyes” at 1.0.

Among households, NBC led with a 9.6/15, followed by ABC’s 9.3/14, CBS’s 9.1/14, Fox’s 6.5/10, CW’s 1.7/3, and Univision’s 1.4/2.

http://www.medialifemagazine.com/artman/publish/printer_8511.asp

fredfa

11-13-06, 12:58 PM

Washington Notebook
Judiciary Eyes Sports Carriage
By John Eggerton Broadcasting & Cable 11/13/2006

The lame duck Congress is still trying to stretch its wings, and be an early bird in the process.

The Senate Judiciary Committee has scheduled a hearing for 9 a.m. Tuesday (standard start time for early hearings is usually 9:30) on "Competition in Sports Programming and Broadcasting: Are Consumers Winning."

Tentative witnesses include Jeffrey Pash, executive VP and general counsel, National Football League; Landell Hobbs, COO, Time Warner; Daniel Fawcett, Executive VP, business and legal affairs and programming acquisition, for DirecTV; and Roger Noll, an economics professor from Stanford.

Time Warner and the NFL Network are currently in a carriage dispute. The FCC stepped in in August to require Time Warner to restore the network on systems it was acquiring from bankrupt Adelphia, but only until Time Warner had given the requisite 30-day notice. Time Warner did, and removed the network in mid September.

Time Warner does not carry the NFL Network, saying it wants to put the network on its digital tier, while the NFL wants to be on the basic tier to boost its potential audience for a new package of NFL games the network is debuting with a Thanksgiving night game.

http://www.broadcastingcable.com/index.asp?layout=articlePrint&articleID=CA6390592

earletp

11-13-06, 01:18 PM

While, for example, it would be nice to have more answers in Lost, it's not the main reason my interest is waning.
For me it has more to do with the prevalence of these multiple "mini-seasons" and the loss of continuity.
The whole, show a couple of months of a series, followed by a couple of months of a replacement series (or reruns of the first few episodes) then a couple more months of new episodes, then on to more reruns and replacement shows is just frustrating enough, I build no or very little viewer loyalty.
There's not much reason to become invested in a TV show when they seem to come and go at a whim; one can no longer depend on when or if it will air; whether it will start in September, or November, or January; or be divided into multiple "mini-seasons".
I just don't like this format of TV scheduling and the lack of continuity it brings.

JWhip

11-13-06, 01:18 PM

Gee, I bet that CSN-Philly not being on DBS will be aired at this hearing! Hopefully!

fredfa

11-13-06, 01:23 PM

We can only hope, JWhip.

fredfa

11-13-06, 01:57 PM

Critic’s Notebook
Matters of the heart and head:
'3 lbs,' 'House' and 'Friday Night Lights'
From Maureen Ryan’s Chicago Tribune blog “The Watcher” November 13, 2006

Dramas that engage the intellect and the soul are rare, and on Tuesdays, there are several that do so with style and inventiveness to spare, most notably “Friday Night Lights” and “House.”

But the last thing you want to spend time on is a program that is a direct ripoff of a superior show. Strangely enough, instead of Fox copying a concept from another network - a common occurrence - this time CBS appropriates “creative inspiration” from Fox’s hit medical drama “House” for “3 lbs” (9 p.m. Tuesday, WBBM-Ch. 2).

In “3 lbs,” there’s an arrogant brain surgeon, Dr. Doug Hanson (Stanley Tucci), throwing off caustic one-liners. He’s a genius, you see (but he may have a physical malady). And trailing him through his glossy, high-tech hospital is Dr. Jonathan Seger (Mark Feuerstein), another brain expert who is more touchy-feely, and, well, nice.

There’s even an attempt to mix a little “Grey’s Anatomy”-style hanky-panky into “3 lbs” - Indira Varma of “Rome” is underused as a neurologist with a subspecialty in saucy dialogue. But the flirtations feel as mechanical as everything else in this cobbled-together drama, which, if it has one saving grace, gives Tucci a showcase for his finely honed wit.

Moreover, “3 lbs” is part of a larger problem at CBS, which is feeling the heat these days from friskier fare such as “Grey’s” (which overtook “CSI” in the ratings this fall), and from quirky freshman successes such as “Heroes” and “Ugly Betty.”

Quirky is not a word anyone would use for CBS’ dramatic fare; disturbingly predictable would be more like it. The network’s programs are always competently made and usually feature good actors in lead roles, but CBS dramas are often derivative, repetitive and feature far too many dead bodies. And the supporting casts of shows such as “Shark” and “3 lbs” are so lamely written that they fade into the woodwork.

Sure, the network’s successful new show “Jericho” is a little different than its usual fare of cops and corpses. Then again, “Jericho” is about a post-nuclear society, so it’s not exactly feel-good fare.

What’s depressing about “3 lbs” is that there’s no passionate spark behind it; it’s a doctor drama made by committee. Feuerstein fails to make much of an impression as Seger, and it’s hard to be drawn in to a drama that doesn’t even have the confidence to make Hanson unlikable. He’s not quite a hand-holder, but neither is he truly mean. He’s just a very confident, slightly callous surgeon. Nothing more, nothing less.

Contrast that by-the-numbers, spark-free approach with the emotional resonance of “Friday Night Lights” (7 p.m. Tuesday, WMAQ-Ch. 5), the best drama that you’re not watching.

That “Friday Night Lights,” a passionate drama about a Texas high school football team, is struggling in the ratings may be more a comment on its terrible time slot than anything else. Recently, NBC tried airing “FNL” after “Heroes,” a pairing that makes a certain amount of sense; both shows feature appealing young casts, though the “FNL” cast is far more compelling. And at this point, “FNL” has earned far more of a chance than the show now occupying the post-“Heroes” slot, “Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip,” which has frittered away much of its potential through condescending writing, nonsensical plots and thinly veiled Hollywood score-settling.

“FNL,” on the other hand, grows more addictive each week. Take the secret romance between wild-man running back Tim Riggins (Taylor Kitsch) and the injured quarterback’s girlfriend, Lyla Garrity (Minka Kelly). Both are devoted to Jason Street (Scott Porter), who’s paralyzed because of a football injury. But in their grief and despair, to their surprise, they find comfort in each other’s arms.

The very proper, good-girl Garrity finds Riggins in her room one night; all he has to do is stand before her, muttering her name, and she melts. It was an electric moment, more memorable than anything that has happened on “Grey’s Anatomy” all season, but the hookup wasn’t just sexual - Riggins and Garrity’s affair is shot through with fear and despair as well.

Riggins also had few words when, after weeks of delay, he finally visited Street in his rehab clinic. What both of those actors were able to do with very little dialogue was remarkable; you felt Street and Riggins’ shared grief as a palpable body blow.

There’s little of that emotional impact on “3 lbs,” which is, we’re told by CBS press materials, the weight of a human brain. The drama is such a direct ripoff of “House” that, in the version of the pilot sent to critics, the CBS show actually used a remix of the “House” theme, “Teardrop” by Massive Attack.

The deeper problem with “3 lbs” is that it entirely misses the point of what makes “House” great television. First of all, there’s no medical mystery to solve - patients on “3 lbs” are usually diagnosed early on.

But more important, “House” is a restless, unpredictable exploration of ethics. What personal choices do people make with their lives? Why do they lie? What do they believe in? The Fox show is as close as we’re ever going to get to a prime-time course on ethical philosophy, and as such, it finds endless material in the flaws and quirks of human nature, just as “Friday Night Lights” plumbs the hopes, desires and frustrations behind the Dillon Panthers’ weekly game.

There’s no such deeper meaning in the first few episodes of “3 lbs.” Sure, there are fancy sets, tasteful fantasy sequences and glitzy shots of weird things happening inside the brain. But aside from Tucci, who could make just about anything interesting, there’s not much to care about here.

It’s not quite “House” with a lobotomy, but so far, there’s no beating heart at the center of “3 lbs.”

http://tempo.typepad.com/entertainment_tv/

fredfa

11-13-06, 03:10 PM

Critic’s Notebook
Roush Dispatches
More ABC Comings and Goings
By Matt Roush TV Guide television critic

My only question about ABC moving Men in Trees to Thursdays after Grey's Anatomy, starting Nov. 30: Why wait so long?

The practical answer: ABC needs a little time to promote the move, and with Thanksgiving in the mix, it's probably more prudent to wait until after sweeps and the holiday to execute this change, which has been suggested for weeks by many an analyst (not to mention all those backseat amateur programmers who write into my "Ask Matt" mailbox). The upside: the likable romantic comedy of Men in Trees (which I'm now going to have to play catch-up with before it moves) is almost surely more compatible with the sexy shenanigans of Grey's than the pretentious contrivances of Six Degrees — which ABC promises to bring back. (But where? And why?) The downside: Trees' modest ratings performance on Fridays, which has kept it alive, could look disastrous on Thursdays if it doesn't grow considerably with this mammoth new lead-in. Being paired with a megahit is often a very mixed blessing. But still, this combo makes sense.

Now looking back on ABC's mutating Wednesday lineup: Can I just say that I'm glad Lost is over? Not the show itself, which I'll miss during its hiatus, but I'm happy to put this current six-episode "mini-season" behind me. I can't help but think it was a miscalculation to keep Kate, Sawyer and Jack prisoners for so long and subjecting us to endless scenes (up through the cliffhanger) of Sawyer being pummeled, tortured, abused, held at gunpoint. High melodrama at its lowest and most unpleasant. I was thrilled to see Jack taking control of the situation in the OR, with Ben's life in the balance, as he shouted on the walkie-talkie: "Kate, damn it, run!" (This to a woman in whose marriage flashback — to Firefly's Nathan Fillion, no less! — she was heard telling the U.S. Marshal, "I don't want to run anymore.") Using these episodes to introduce us to the world of the Others through the eyes of their captives wasn't a bad idea — and that jaw-dropping season-opener shot revealing the Others' village as the Oceanic plane crashes was one for the ages — but I didn't much relish the unsatisfying prospect of watching three of my favorite characters stuck in cages or in a subterranean prison for weeks on end. (Reminded me a bit of when Dynasty kept Krystle Carrington in an attic for what seemed like months, one of those signposts of the beginning of the end for that long-ago soap.)

When Lost returns, we need a reversal of fortune, and soon, to reunite these invaluable characters to the tribe they've been separated from for too long. I want to re-experience that sense of tribal community, not feel like I'm watching two or three separate shows (a feeling of dislocation that is probably exacerbated by Lost's trademark flashback device, of which I'm still a big fan).

The one undeniable positive from Lost's season so far is the introduction of Elizabeth Mitchell as Juliet. So enigmatic a femme fatale, with questionable motives in her secret allegiance with Jack against Ben (or is it just another trick). She's a keeper. So, if he survives Jack's surgery, is Ben. Through them, I hope to learn what I need to know (for now) about the Others. But not at the expense of being kept so long from the other castaways.

Without doubt, Lost is far from lost. (I'll probably defend this adventurous, one-of-a-kind show to the end.) But when it returns Feb. 7 amid all sorts of hype and hoopla, it needs to deliver the goods, and quickly, to bring us back to the show we know and love. Treading water for six weeks, because of this experimental split season, hasn't been the show's greatest moment. As I've discussed at length in the "Ask Matt" forum, maybe next season ABC will finally be ready to schedule the show 24-style, straight through, without repeat or interruption. If that means ending the show early in spring, or starting it late in the winter, so be it. Lost is too valuable, but also too fragile, an asset to risk with "mini-season" stunts like what we've just endured.

I can't wait for these next 16 episodes, because I'll be treating them as if they were the actual third season, and what we've just lived through as something of a bad nightmare (literally and otherwise). Bring it on.

http://community.tvguide.com/thread.jspa?threadID=700011557

TommyK

11-13-06, 04:32 PM

Breaking News
NBC Keeps Lights On

By Ben Grossman -- Broadcasting & Cable, 11/13/2006 12:26:00 PM

NBC is sticking with modestly-performing drama Friday Night Lights, giving the rookie football drama a full-season order.

While the show is averaging just a 2.7 rating/7 share in the adult 18-49 demo in its Tuesday 8 p.m. timeslot, it has done so against heavy competition (ABC’s Dancing With the Stars and CBS’ NCIS), and the show continues to attract critical acclaim.

Despite its sluggish ratings, NBC Entertainment President Kevin Reilly is standing by the show during a fall that has produced only a few new assets, including NBC’s Heroes, ABC’s Ugly Betty, and CBS’ surprising Jericho.

Reilly also recently ordered a full season of struggling Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip and has said he plans on standing behind 30 Rock, a smart but low-rated comedy that will move to Thursdays in an attempt to find an audience.

fredfa

11-13-06, 04:57 PM

Thanks TommyK -- it has been hard to get onto the site today. Glad to have your help.

fredfa

11-13-06, 05:01 PM

TV Notebook
“Friday Night Lights” Pickup
NBC GOES THE WHOLE NINE YARDS IN GIVING CRITICALLY HAILED 'FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS' A FULL-SEASON ORDER OF EPISODES FOR 2006-07

NBC News Release November 13, 2006

BURBANK, Calif. – November 13, 2006 – NBC has given a full-season order for 2006-07 to its critically hailed freshman drama "Friday Night Lights" (Tuesdays, 8-9 p.m. ET), it was announced today by Kevin Reilly, President, NBC Entertainment.

"We're proud to reward an authentic, poignant series like 'Friday Night Lights' with a full-season order, demonstrating our confidence in it's appeal and quality," said Reilly. "Television critics and devoted fans have supported the show with well-deserved praise for the executive producers, writers and exceptionally talented cast."

"Friday Night Lights" is averaging a 2.7 rating, 7 share in adults 18-49 and 6.7 million viewers overall with Tuesday originals through November 5. The acclaimed drama delivered 18-49 increases from its first half-hour to its second with each of its first five Tuesday telecasts. On a special Monday, October 30 telecast, "Friday Night Lights" won its time period among adults 18-34, men 18-34 and men 18-49.

Inspired by the book and the film "Friday Night Lights," NBC's poignant series centers on the small rural town of Dillon, Texas, where the coveted state football championship rings are held in the highest regard. Dillon's promising high school team, its star quarterback, and newly appointed head coach Eric Taylor (Kyle Chandler, "King Kong," "Grey's Anatomy") continually feel the mounting pressure of the town's pride and honor riding on their shoulders as soon as the Panthers' new football season kicks off.

The strong cast also includes: Scott Porter ("The Bedford Diaries") as the severely injured team captain and first-string quarterback Jason Street; Gaius Charles ("Book of Daniel") as feared running back Brian "Smash" Williams; Taylor Kitsch ("Kyle XY") as running back Tim Riggins; Connie Britton ("The Brothers McMullen," "24") as Taylor's supportive wife, Tami; Zach Gilford ("The Last Winter") as third-string quarterback Matt Saracen, and Minka Kelly ("What I Like About You") as Lyla Garrity, Panther cheerleader and Street's girlfriend.

Also starring are: Aimee Teegarden ("Ned's Declassified School Survival Guide") as Coach Taylor's daughter, Julie; Adrianne Palicki ("South Beach") as Tyra Collette, and Jesse Plemons ("Grey's Anatomy") as Landry Clarke.

keenan

11-13-06, 05:02 PM

Breaking News
NBC Keeps Lights On

That's great news, I was really starting to wonder if it was going to make the cut.

fredfa

11-13-06, 05:13 PM

TV Q&A
Ask Matt
(from the Ask Matt column at TVGuide.com
By Matt Roush TVGuide.com TV Critic November 13, 2006

Question: Is Day Break going to be better than Lost reruns? Last year, it was apparent that when it comes to reruns, we Lost fans are a rather heated bunch. We not only didn't bother to watch the reruns, we started whole campaigns of rage against them. (I don't remember West Wing or ER fans ever getting that vindictive.) But is no Lost really better than "previous" Lost? If Day Break flops —hope it doesn't, since it's as close to Tru Calling as I'm going to get — will ABC schedule Lost reruns, or would we get shafted with reality programming (shiver)? Next year, do you think ABC might finally pick up the 24 vibe, and just start Lost in January?— John

Matt Roush: These are, putting it mildly, million-dollar questions, considering what's at stake here. It falls under the category of "be careful what you wish for." You hate Lost reruns? The only alternative is a long stretch without Lost on the air. As for Day Break, my recent Review made it pretty clear that I'm a bit of a skeptic, but I certainly wouldn't count it out yet. Not in a season where shows as off-center as Heroes and Jericho have found an audience. If it does flop, I can't say how ABC will react.

Will they just let Day Break burn off its episodes during December and January, when stakes aren't as high? I'm not sure what they have on the back burner that would fill the gap without wasting or overusing an actual asset. Your last question is the most pertinent, I think. Considering the slippage of Lost this fall, ABC might eventually decide it can get the biggest bang for its programming buck by holding back Lost until January, as Fox does with 24, to maximize the promotional and narrative appeal of a truly "nonstop" season. Still, when Lost does return Feb. 7, it will be with a lot of fanfare and anticipation, trust me.

In a similar vein, Chris L. writes in to wonder if "this mini-season of Lost could leave the audience with a buzz-building, what's-in-the-hatch-like interest that would help when it faces American Idol in the spring. Maybe it'll entice viewers who left and entirely new people. Bashing Lost's scheduling is having the residual effect of bashing Day Break, which I think has potential with its 24-meets-Groundhog Day vibe but would not survive the Idol/Criminal Minds double whammy if it debuted in March. ABC is trying to give us as much new programming as possible while having it make sense to the bottom line.

I agree with the last point. With this current hiatus, ABC is trying to do right by Lost, Lost fans and its own needs. But I'd be less than honest if I didn't at least acknowledge the inherent risks in this programming experiment. The unfortunate aspect of this season so far is that I'm not sure these first six episodes generated the kind of buzz you're talking about. I'm glad Jack finally took control of the situation in the final reel, but it's time to move on from this captivity stage and reunite the castaways so that everyone can mix it up again like in the good old days.

Question: I agree that Lost has an abundance of mystery, intrigue and suspense. However, compared to Season 1, it is sorely lacking in the romance department. When Lost first started, the potential was there for three strong love triangles: Jack-Kate-Sawyer, Jin-Sun-Michael, and Sayid-Shannon-Boone. Now we're down to only one, and I'm not quite satisfied with how the other two abruptly ended. While I am a fan of the Jack-Kate-Sawyer triangle, I think the show is missing something now that the other triangles are finished. Do you think the shifting romantic dynamic of the show has had anything to do with its recent slippage in the ratings? Also, with the deaths of Ana Lucia and Eko and the departures of Michael and Walt, I am concerned about the shrinking diversity on the show. Lost's culturally mixed cast was one of the things I loved so much about it.— Courtney M.

Matt Roush: While it's true that there are no longer any African-American regulars on the show, Lost's cast is still plenty diverse, with Asians and Hispanics prominent in the cast (though you'd think they could reset the balance by adding some different complexions to the Others). And while this question was sent in before the "caged heat" tryst of Kate and Sawyer (yowza), it does make an interesting point about the show's romantic angles, or lack thereof. Maybe once we get back to the beach, after this captured-by-the-Others story line plays itself out, some new interpersonal and romantic tensions will be revealed. Hope so. I still think Lost works better as a mystery-adventure than as a soap opera, but there's no denying that at its best, it's also one of the sexiest shows on TV, and there's no reason that should go unexplored.

Question: My wife and I are slowly losing interest in Two and a Half Men as it gets raunchier. Alan's fetish for pregnant women in the last episode was disturbing. We're not prudes, but it seems like Charlie and his brother have become rather one-dimensional women-chasers. The not-so-little kid is still funny, but we're close to abandoning ship. Have you sensed the show slipping?— John

Matt Roush: Watching Alan moan with desire at Sara Rue's pregnant belly gave me the creeps, too. However, to compensate, we got to spend lots of quality time with Conchata Ferrell's Berta in that episode, so it kind of balanced out for me. The episode made me laugh, but I wasn't very proud of myself afterward. (Now The New Adventures of Old Christine: That's the one you should be watching. It just keeps getting better, sillier and funnier, with far fewer cringe-worthy moments.) These gripes about Two and a Half Men slipping into tastelessness are nothing new. It has always seemed awfully gamy to me. Some weeks it just crosses the line more obviously than others.

Question: I honestly don't understand why everyone keeps complaining about reruns. It's kind of nice to be able to go back and catch an episode that you may have missed the first time or one that was interrupted by the local affiliate or a technical difficulty. Not to mention, sometimes it's nice not to have to worry about whether you set the VCR timer properly. There are even some shows that I actually enjoy watching more than once: Grey's Anatomy, Gilmore Girls and Veronica Mars come to mind. Take the reruns as an opportunity to refresh your memory about prior stories, or to see them in a new light now that you know what happens next. Or maybe even take the repeats as an opportunity to read a book or catch up on some sleep.

On a side note, I just wanted to say how much I love Men in Trees. I understand people are calling for it to be moved to a different day on the schedule, but I like it on Fridays just fine. It's nice to have a lighthearted, romantic comedy on after a long, hard week at work. Maybe I'm the only one who doesn't go out much, but I really like having something enjoyable to watch on Friday nights, something that doesn't involve solving a murder or talking to dead people. I sincerely hope Men in Trees sticks around for a while.— Donna

Matt Roush: Well, you're in luck, because ABC just renewed Men in Trees for a full season. But starting Nov. 30, you'll have to follow your bliss to Thursdays, in the post-Grey's Anatomy slot, where it will be expected to hold on to more of the audience than Six Degrees did (which shouldn't be hard). To address your bigger issue: Amen on the rerun front. I'm speaking purely selfishly here, but I need repeats once in a while just to catch my breath. And there are many practical reasons, which you noted very accurately, as to why repeats can come in very handy. This is why I categorically ignored all the gripes I heard in the last week of October as the networks scattered one or two repeats in advance of sweeps. Honestly, people, have you never watched TV before?

Question: How do you think The Nine has been progressing? In my opinion, last week's was the best episode yet. From the flashback revelations to the mysterious ending, I loved every minute of it. However, I'm worried. When asked what shows people have dropped, many have said The Nine. I can't say I completely blame them after Invasion and Eyes failed in that same slot, but I think they're missing out on the best new series of the season. (Sorry, Friday Night Lights is must-watch for me but a tad too predictable to be my favorite.) If you agree that the show is still strong, can you post some love and remind readers they can get caught up on ABC.com? I'm especially nervous about ratings with the Lost hiatus.— Sam

Matt Roush: As I write this, we're hearing that The Nine's fate is very much in the balance. It's already taking this week off to make room for the launch of Day Break. Whether it returns next week and for the rest of the sweeps, I can't say. While I agree that the most recent episode was one of the strongest, this show is probably my greatest disappointment of the season, and I'm not talking ratings. Whereas I never stopped believing in Invasion a year ago, and still think the audience was too short-sighted in its impatience with that sinister allegory and missed out on a ripping good story, I'm less convinced about the way The Nine is spinning out its payoffs and revelations. I still think it was the best of the drama pilots. (Friday Night Lights' opener was hampered by the green quarterback saving the game, but, since then, I think it has been anything but trite and predictable. It's now my fave freshman drama.) The Nine has only sporadically lived up to the pilot's promise. The bank flashbacks are so riveting they can't help but make the current-day plots pale, even when significant things happen. I love these characters, I am engrossed by their stories, and I will watch as long as ABC allows me to. But I doubt people have dropped the show out of fear of how ABC will treat it in this treacherous time period. I can't help but think this is a case where many curious viewers sampled the show and just weren't satisfied, especially in those critical first weeks after the pilot. If The Nine gets its back nine episodes, it will probably be something of a miracle.

Question: Do you think Veronica Mars will be given a full season? Why do we have to wait so long for an answer from the CW? I noticed the ratings for the last two weeks weren't very good, but hello, Halloween night? Election night? They've got to expect a little dip in the ratings. Besides, it looks like all the other episodes of VM had ratings as good as, or better than, many of the CW's other shows. I will never understand why more people aren't watching this brilliant show.— Camille

Matt Roush: The recent arrival of the megahit House in this Tuesday time period probably has a lot to do with Veronica's ratings downturn. I'm hoping that while this column is still up, I'll need to update it with news that the CW has picked up Veronica for a full season. I'm confident it will happen, and, creatively, the show absolutely deserves it (which I'm not sure I would have said midway through Season 2). It is the perfect cult show for a cult network, and anything the CW would replace it with would almost certainly do much worse. Honestly, I don't know why they're dragging their heels on this one.

Question: How long can Heroes go on with "Save the cheerleader, save the world"? As much as we love the show, we will be turned off by a never-ending story line. In order for a show of this type to be successful, it needs to make progress and eventually have closure. A comedy doesn't suffer from this fate, but too many good shows end in a less-than-honorable way. If the actors don't lose interest in the show, the viewers do. Heroes appears to be going somewhere. But will it get someplace, or is the show going to end after one or two seasons and never give us closure?— Joe and Stacy

Matt Roush: Isn't it a little soon to be worrying about closure on a show that is just getting going? My problem from the start with Heroes, and why I was so astonished that it took off the way it did, was a feeling that the characters and the story lines were too scattered and diffuse, with no real focus outside of that pretentious voice-over (which has been thankfully less frequent lately) telling us that they were all destined to save the world or some such. But now that the characters are finally beginning to intersect and connect, with the Claire’s fate looming large for many of them, I'm reasonably confident we'll get some of these payoffs soon. Bringing the major characters together can't happen soon enough for my taste. But for crying out loud, to start fretting about this show's endgame is ludicrous. Heroes is going to be with us for much longer than one or two seasons unless it all falls apart. And even then, I'm not sure the show's fans would care. For now, it's about the ride and watching the characters figure it out along with the rest of us.

Question: Recently, I've noticed a few networks have been splitting some of their shows into two or more parts that air with no repeats and long hiatuses in between. Prison Break had this last year, and is doing it again this season. Lost will be doing the same, and Jericho. Veronica Mars is being split into three parts, where each part is a different arc. Do you think this works more smoothly than the usual schedule of random repeats throughout the season? Or do you think the long hiatuses might lose viewers?— Alex

Matt Roush: I wrote a Dispatch about this trend earlier this week. Short version: There is a risk involved for taking a show off the schedule for a considerable chunk of time, no question about it, especially for a show as new as Jericho, which is doing OK but is far from a blockbuster. On the upside, when shows like Jericho or Prison Break (or, as discussed earlier, Lost) return for the back half of the season, they can be re-launched with creative promotion, almost as if a brand new season were starting. It depends on the show and the quality of whatever cliff-hanger it left us at the end of the first half. Veronica Mars is a different situation. It's splitting its narrative into separate story arcs, as opposed to last season's unwieldy effort to juggle two or more mysteries at once. So far, that seems to be working very well, creatively anyway. Haven't a clue if the CW is planning to rest Veronica Mars for any period of time to avoid repeats. Of all the shows you mentioned, this would probably suffer most from being out of sight, out of mind.

Question: Lately there has been a lot of complaint on ABC Grey's Anatomy message board and on the GA writers’ blog comment section about the quality of Season 3, and I would just like to hear it from a TV king's (your) point of view. I think it's still a very strong show, but going through the inevitable "slump" period. The characters and the story lines have to change in order for the show to last, and I don't think fans are adjusting to the changes well. Seeing it so harshly criticized when it's scheduled against CSI, The O.C. and Scrubs (soon), do you think the show can stay strong and improve?— K.

Matt Roush: Let me say this in no uncertain terms: WHAT FRAKKIN’ SLUMP? This is the insanity of online fandom at its most ridiculous. A show this popular and visible is going to have its share of nit-pickers and whiners, some of whom might actually have a point beyond the cheap thrill of venting. While I'm willing to concede (though I really don't agree) that maybe Grey's is delivering a B-plus quality episode once in a while (instead of the usual A-plus), this is the No. 1 show on TV, airing opposite what was previously the No. 1 show on TV (and which is still going strong). It is not slipping. And more importantly, it is still hugely entertaining and satisfying. Everyone's entitled to their opinion, and story lines and character development are always fair game. But if the critical mass on message boards is giving even one loyal fan the impression that a show as terrific and as powerful as Grey's Anatomy is going south, then there's danger in that kind of poison. Personally, I have no use for it, and it disappoints me.

Question: Although I know Ghost Whisperer is not a stellar show and gets pretty sappy at the end of each episode, my husband and I used to enjoy watching it every week. When Camryn Manheim joined the show, I admit that my interest really waned. I never cared for her on The Practice and do not see what value she has added to the show. I loved the character of Andrea and thought Aisha Tylor played her beautifully. Do you think the show's ratings will suffer with the addition of Camryn and the loss of Aisha?— Laura E.

Matt Roush: It doesn't appear to have hurt the show much. From what I can tell, it's still doing fine, and seems to be the right show at the right time on the right night. (Not that I'm watching, for a variety of reasons — some logistical, some critical.) But it's fair to say that the outcry when Andrea was written off the show was pretty sizable, at least in my mailbag. She's clearly missed, and I wish I had an opinion of how Camryn Manheim is doing as the new sidekick. I loved her feisty presence on The Practice (at least in its glory years before it went off the rails), and she would be one of the reasons I'd consider looking in on Ghost Whisperer again one of these days.

http://www.tvguide.com/News-Views/Columnists/Ask-Matt/Default.aspx#01heroes

rustycruiser

11-13-06, 05:15 PM

That's great news, I was really starting to wonder if it was going to make the cut.

I agree. I invested some time in this show, and was really worried that it was going to get the hook. It is an excellent, yet (almost) unwatched series. Thank goodness the rest of NBC's schedule is so bad that they have to leave underperforming shows on the air.

fredfa

11-13-06, 05:22 PM

(JWhip: It looks like Comcast is not on the agenda.)

Washington Notebook
Senate Panel Calls Hearing on DirecTV's Sunday Ticket Package

By Ira Teinowitz Television Week Nov. 13, 2006

Concerned that the NFL's exclusive Sunday Ticket package with DirecTV may be disenfranchising cable subscribers, the outgoing chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee has scheduled a last-minute hearing for Tuesday to talk about the package's antitrust implications.

The hearing was called by Sen. Arlen Specter, R-Pa., who in January is expected to be replaced by Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., as committee chairman.

NFL's exclusive deal with DirecTV for the NFL Sunday Ticket package lets DirecTV subscribers see multiple NFL games that aren't broadcast locally and aren't available on cable.

Sen. Specter in the past has occasionally indicated concern about sports antitrust issues.

Officials from DirecTV and Time Warner Cable and the NFL's general counsel are among witnesses slated to testify at Tuesday's hearing.

An NFL spokesman said the league has been told Sen. Specter wants to discuss the NFL's overall TV policy and said the senator has occasionally scheduled hearings to discuss the issue going back to the days of NFL Commissioner Pete Rozelle, who held the post from 1960 through 1989.

The spokesman said the NFL is pleased to have the discussion, "since our longstanding emphasis on making our games available on free over-the-air TV has helped make us the most popular sport in the country."

http://www.tvweek.com/news.cms?newsId=11050

fredfa

11-13-06, 05:25 PM

I agree. I invested some time in this show, and was really worried that it was going to get the hook. It is an excellent, yet (almost) unwatched series. Thank goodness the rest of NBC's schedule is so bad that they have to leave underperforming shows on the air.

And don't forget, rusty, NBC has four more hours a week to fill starting in January when SNF disappears. If it can't program all winners, at least reneweing "Studio 60" and "Friday Night Lights" keeps them in good graces with the critics.

TommyK

11-13-06, 05:29 PM

Thanks TommyK -- it has been hard to get onto the site today. Glad to have your help.You're welcome, fredfa. Yes, it really has been a bit of a challenging day on the forum.

jim tressler

11-13-06, 05:31 PM

fred - any word on what fox intends to do with prison break ??

fredfa

11-13-06, 05:31 PM

TV Sports
Steelers vs. Saints on Fox Scores Highest NFL Rating This Season

By John Consoli MediaWeek Nov. 13, 2006

Fox's NFL national game on Sunday, Nov. 12 at 4:15 p.m. in which the Pittsburgh Steelers defeated the New Orleans Saints, recorded a 14.9/27 household rating in the metered markets, the highest rating for an NFL game on any network this season, according to Nielsen Media Research data.

Ironically, Fox lost the national game it was going to air nationally, the Chicago Bears vs.New York Giants, which was selected by NBC to air under the new TV flexible scheduling system. The Bears-Giants game, won by the Bears, aired on NBC at 8:15 p.m. and recorded a 13.6/20 metered market household rating, flat with last year's comparable Week 10 Monday Night Football game on ABC.

While Chicago was the highest rated market, with a household rating of 36.2/50, New York was only the sixth highesd rated market with a 16.4/24. Indianapolis, Denver, Las Vegas and Milwaukee all had higher ratings for the game than did New York.

NBC also announced that its flex game selected for Sunday, Nov. 26 will be the Philadelphia Eagles at the Indianapolis Colts, also a game that would have aired on Fox.

http://www.mediaweek.com/mw/news/recent_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1003381565

CPanther95

11-13-06, 05:50 PM

Everybody loves the Steelers, even in the midst of a rough year.

RussTC3

11-13-06, 05:53 PM

Everybody loves the Steelers, even in the midst of a rough year.
Or loves to hate. Hey, I'm a Browns fan. ;)

Great to see that Friday Night Lights was given a full season.

fredfa

11-13-06, 05:53 PM

TV Notebook
"Friday Night Lights'' scores a full season
"Justice'' gets dumped
By Charlie McCollum San Jose Mercury News in his blog

If you go looking for Fox's "Justice'' tonight, it won't be there.

Despite a strong pedigree and a cast headed by Victor Garber, "Justice'' never did find an audience, largely because the creators never gave viewers any real reasons to care about the main characters. So, on Friday, the legal drama was shown the door, with repeats of "House'' filling in for the next weeks. (And, of course, "24'' will be back at 9 p.m. Mondays in mid-January.)

Now for some much better news: NBC today gave "Friday Night Lights'' (above) -- its superb high school football drama -- the go-ahead for a full season even though its ratings have been marginal at best. It's a rare show of patience from a television network and it couldn't happen to a better series.

http://blogs.mercurynews.com/aei/charlie_mccollum/index.html

archiguy

11-13-06, 06:04 PM

And don't forget, rusty, NBC has four more hours a week to fill starting in January when SNF disappears. If it can't program all winners, at least reneweing "Studio 60" and "Friday Night Lights" keeps them in good graces with the critics.

Now, if ABC just holds on to "The Nine", it'll all be good. ;)

fredfa

11-13-06, 06:04 PM

fred - any word on what fox intends to do with prison break ??

jim: I know that tonight is episode #11 of the season, then next week is #12, and on Nov. 27th #13, the "fall finale".

I am trying to dig up when Fox has said it will start the next run of episodes. Despite the 4-hour season premieres of "24" and "American Idol" January 14-17, it doesn't seem to have much left to fill in the blanks with these days,

Rakesh.S

11-13-06, 06:42 PM

fred - any word on what fox intends to do with prison break ??

it'll be back in march to run back to back with 24 to finish out the season..just like last year.

Rakesh.S

11-13-06, 06:48 PM

TV Notebook
“Friday Night Lights” Pickup
NBC GOES THE WHOLE NINE YARDS IN GIVING CRITICALLY HAILED 'FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS' A FULL-SEASON ORDER OF EPISODES FOR 2006-07

NBC is a glutton for punishment.

fredfa

11-13-06, 07:10 PM

it'll be back in march to run back to back with 24 to finish out the season..just like last year.

Thanks, Rakesh.S, that was my recollection.

With only nine episodes left for the spring, I am assuming it will start no earlier than mid-March.

fredfa

11-13-06, 07:36 PM

TV Notebook
HDNet bets Rather will hike profile
By Joanne Ostrow Denver Post

How big was Hillary Clinton's margin of victory?

"She ran away with it like a hobo with a sweet potato pie," Dan Rather told Jon Stewart on "The Daily Show," serving up a goofy Ratherism on cue.

Rather debuts on HDNet this week, launching "Dan Rather Reports" at 6 p.m. Tuesday.

The longtime CBS News anchor, relegated to Comedy Central on Election Night, begins a one-hour weekly collection of documentaries. Lengths will vary, but the network announced Rather will report the news "with integrity, guts, and without the pressures and demands of advertisers and ratings." The audience is as tiny as the aspirations are huge.

HDNet general manager Phil Garvin, operating out of an old hangar at what used to be Denver's Stapleton airport, believes Rather will catapult the network into a higher profile. Owner Mark Cuban calls Rather's hiring "an extraordinary opportunity to report news that is not defined by corporate economics and that takes its cues from the stories themselves, not a pre-conceived structure."

Launched in 2001 by Cuban and Garvin, HDNet initially specialized in sports, then broadened its scope to movies and concerts. Garvin insists "HD's greatest value is news events." The network is available from more than 40 cable operators - but notably, not Comcast.

"This is a start-up operation from a flat ground zero in late July," Rather said. "It's exciting, also daunting.

"I knew very little about HDNet before I went to work there. My instructions from Mark Cuban are 'strive for excellence and be fearless."'

Promising he'll "pull no punches, play no favorites," Rather said the shows may focus on one subject for an hour or feature two or three different stories within the hour. He also plans "essays," a sort of reporter's notebook segment.

Rather and his team recently finished an investigative report in Alaska, slated among the early programs. This is where crisp high-definition shines: "Such spectacular vistas, an essence to the air and atmosphere there that is very difficult to describe. When you see, it'll knock your socks off."

At 75, Rather has spent the last 2 1/2 months on the road. Not that he's complaining. "I'm a happy warrior," he said. "The least I can do is be a workhorse. I'm not exactly a show horse, I'm more plow horse."

With Bryant Gumble doing sports on HBO, Ted Koppel producing documentaries for Discovery, and Rather joining HDNet, serious reporting is straying from the traditional broadcast networks. "These are the kinds of things commercial TV networks don't do anymore," Rather said, adding that his model is Edward R. Murrow's "See It Now."

"He did tough stuff. He did it without fear. It's so difficult to do that now when a news operation is part of an international super-corporate conglomerate." The corporate co-opting of news is bad for hard-nosed investigative reporting, he said, because it's "controversy-averse."

Television increasingly exhibits "the tendency to underestimate the audience, dumb it down, tart it up, sleaze it up ... well, there's a large segment of the public that's got a gut full of that."

On HDNet he'll take the high road. "If you want movie stars or celebrities, people in the studio bloviating ad nauseum, then this is not the place for you."

Signature stories will be interviews with troops rather than generals; a focus on the squeezing of America's middle-economic strata ("I don't like the phrase middle-class") and politics. His coverage of presidential elections spans six decades, so it was odd to see him cutting up on Comedy Central.

Rather still defends the discredited "60 Minutes" report on George Bush's Air National Guard service: "The story was accurate," he said. "It had some tough truths, truths powerful people did not want out."

He claims he no longer gives it much thought. "People made their judgments a long time ago about that. With a war in Afghanistan and a war in Iraq, a huge and dangerous national deficit, oil and gas dependence, people want reporting about those things."

He'll return to the Bush story "if there are any new developments, and I think there will be." For now, "I'll live with history's judgement on that."

http://www.denverpost.com/ostrow

fredfa

11-13-06, 07:42 PM

TV Notebook
A terrific tribute to Bradley
By Hal Boedeker Orlando Sentinel Television Critic his TV Guy blog Nov. 13, 2006

Did you miss the "60 Minutes" tribute to the late Ed Bradley Sunday night? It was heartfelt, classy -- and easily one of the finest hours this television season.

Morley Safer, Lesley Stahl and Steve Kroft recalled Bradley, the reporter and man, in moving reports. Those segments were crafted with the care that makes "60 Minutes" the finest of newsmagazines. Andy Rooney added poignant commentary, and trumpeter Wynton Marsalis concluded the hour with a stirring performance of favorite Bradley music.

If you want to see a good deal of the show, go to:

http://www.cbsnews.com/sections/60minutes/main3415.shtml

http://blogs.orlandosentinel.com/entertainment_tv_tvblog/2006/11/a_terrific_trib.html

fredfa

11-13-06, 07:57 PM

Critic’s Notebook
Haven't I Seen You Before?
Written by Robert Abele Los Angeles Weekly

It’s fall replacement time at the networks — send in the clones: 3 Lbs and Day Break Cloning may be a moral issue in the world of science, but in television it’s business as usual. If a new show reminds you of an old favorite — or even a new favorite from last season — the network tinkerers think maybe you’ll feel comforted with a concept you’ve responded to before.

If you’re watching Shark, maybe it’s because you dig James Woods’ long-established gift for manic invective, but the networks are guessing that you might like that it’s the lawyer version of the damaged-goods antihero on House. Of course, cloning can work against a good series.

If you skipped Kidnapped (which, really, you shouldn’t have), maybe it’s because you only have room in your brain to follow one or two can’t-miss-an-episode serials, and if you already watch 24 or Prison Break, that’s enough.

The networks aren’t done, though. Debuting next week are the newest copycats, one that embraces its gimmick with infectious abandon, the other so slickly derivative it might as well have come from K-Tel. The fun entry is ABC’s colorfully suspenseful Day Break, which takes its storytelling cue from the superb 1993 Harold Ramis comedy about Sisyphusian alternate reality, Groundhog Day (Rule One: Steal from the best).
Here, it’s L.A. detective Brett Hopper, played by Taye Diggs, who is the guy perpetually reliving the same day, only the goal isn’t a romantic happy ending, but to keep his ass from being sent to prison — and a few loved ones from violent death. By the end of Hopper’s first go-round with this particularly fraught 24-hour period, he’s been arrested for the murder of an assistant D.A., he discovers that a safe house holding a police-cultivated gang leader has been exposed, his sister (Meta Golding) has shown signs of being an abuse victim, he’s narrowly avoided being killed, and at night awakens from a beating to find himself in a rock quarry at the mercy of bad guys who show him video of his girlfriend being killed.

Now, sure, Jack Bauer would probably host a kegger at his place if that was all he had to handle in his 24 hours. But for most of us these are the trappings of a truly ****** day, yet it’s one for which Hopper mysteriously gets a do-over. He wakes up again in his smiling lover’s bed promptly at 6:17 a.m., the memory of what’s happened and hasn’t yet happened spurring him to get a grip on how everything went nuts. Although there’s plenty of action whichever way he opts to chase down the day, creator/writer Paul Zbyszewski understands that there’s humor, too, in his Choose Your Own Adventure setup — consider the odd look Hopper gets from a colleague after being caught muttering to himself, “If I can get here earlier tomorrow... ”

Of course, the cosmic joke is that this is a goof on the sameness of a lot of television, a procedural in which switching up one’s routine is truly a matter of life or death. But because Hopper can radically rejigger events for better or worse — a decision that prevents one disaster might cause another — Day Break also feels like the first video-game-era series. Its mantra is game over, reset, then start again, a little wiser. (Plus, the actress who plays the girlfriend is named Moon Bloodgood, which sounds like something a game designer came up with.) In the end, Hopper’s essentially a guy trying to crack the next level so he can go from pawn to wizard of his own destiny. All that’s missing now is the code for everyone’s remote that takes viewers to the hidden sex scenes, no?

If Day Break is a tasty fusion of influences, the slick, imitative tedium of the CBS medical drama 3 lbs. seems like microwaved leftovers. Set in a New York hospital’s neurosurgery wing in which a brilliant but misunderstood eccentric (Stanley Tucci) ruffles feathers but saves lives, it can literally be called House with brains. (The title refers to the full-grown weight of the thing in your head.)

We’re told that Tucci’s brooding Doug Hanson is such a rigorous adherent to the cold, uncompromising logic of science at the expense of a patient’s fragile emotional state that, as a colleague explains to the sensitive, touchy-feely new protégé (Mark Feuerstein), “He’s like Spock.” Well, that’s because the show can’t call him Sherlock Holmes, who is the logic icon that the creators of House acknowledge as the inspiration for their prickly deductive genius.

What’s next? A series about a gifted, crabby podiatrist who’s hailed as the Ellery Queen of bunion removal? Eventually, while watching the competent yet uninvolving pilot, I entertained the fantasy-hope that a mad scientist element would introduce itself — a brain in a jar, diabolical laughter, lightning, something. Then I realized that this is a market House has cornered too, with its malpractice-worthy approach to risky treatments and love of terrifying patient seizure scenes right out of horror movies. Maybe there was no chance a show like 3 Lbs. could feel like anything but comatose upon arrival.

http://www.laweekly.com/film+tv/screen/havent-i-seen-you-before/14957/

flint350

11-13-06, 08:00 PM

Now, if ABC just holds on to "The Nine", it'll all be good. ;)

Thought I read somewhere else in here that The Nine was already dead or on the "expect to cancel" list? Maybe I'm remembering incorrectly. I'll be sad to see it go.

fredfa

11-13-06, 08:05 PM

TV Review
A show with brains... and heart
By David Bianculli New York DailyNews TV critic November 13th, 2006

3 LBS. Tuesday at 10 PM ET/PT on CBS. (Three stars out of a possible four) at 10 PM ET/PT.

The new CBS drama series "3 Lbs." is as cerebral as TV can get. It's a medical show about a group of New York neurosurgeons, with 3 pounds being the average weight of the adult human brain.

Created and written by Peter Ocko, and directed by Davis Guggenheim, "3 Lbs." (premiering tomorrow night at 10) stars two very strong male leads: Stanley Tucci, as reigning brain expert Doug Hanson, and Mark Feuerstein as Jonathan Seger. Hanson is abrasive but brilliant, like Hugh Laurie on "House," while Seger is empathetic and instantly lovable, like ... well, like Feuerstein when he was on "The West Wing." There also is a female doctor, played by Indira Varma (Niobe on "Rome"), and other staffers, including one played by Griffin Dunne.

At least 2 pounds of "3 Lbs." weighs in as familiar concepts or characters adapted from other medical shows. The brilliant brain surgeon borrows from Mandy Patinkin's character on "Chicago Hope," just as his being inflicted with something related to his own specialty echoes Norman Lloyd's Dr. Auschlander on "St. Elsewhere." The opening special effects, taking us inside the body of a violinist as she collapses while performing, are part of the fashionable "CSI"/"House" trend.

Where "3 Lbs." gets credit for more originality, though, is in the treatment of its patients. That violinist, played by guest star Madeline Zima, earns our sympathy quickly when a probe touching her brain, during an exploratory exam, triggers memories of a lilac smell associated with her twin sister, who died a year ago - on the operating table.

She's flooded with so much happiness, she asks Dr. Hanson to touch the point and spark the sensation again. He refuses - though, before the hour is up, he shows a lot more heart.

"It's wires in a box," he says simply, discussing the intricate and delicate interior of the brain. It may not be coincidental that Edward R. Murrow once described television, if not done well, in much the same way, as "wires and lights in a box."

This show, though, is good enough to escape that criticism.

"I got a bad feeling about this," one of the team's other patients says before heading into his operation.

I have a good feeling, though, about "3 Lbs." After one hour, we not only care about the patients - but care quite a bit about the doctors.

http://www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/col/dbianculli/

RemyM

11-13-06, 09:55 PM

By John Consoli MediaWeek Nov. 13, 2006

Ironically, Fox lost the national game it was going to air nationally, the Chicago Bears vs.New York Giants, which was selected by NBC to air under the new TV flexible scheduling system.

NBC also announced that its flex game selected for Sunday, Nov. 26 will be the Philadelphia Eagles at the Indianapolis Colts, also a game that would have aired on Fox.

http://www.mediaweek.com/mw/news/recent_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1003381565

Actually, Fox didn't lose either of those games to NBC. Both the Giants vs Bears and Eagles vs Colts game were pencilled in for NBC when the schedule was released. Fox had no chance to protect those games. Also, it's the NFL that ultimately decides what games get moved, not NBC.

fredfa

11-13-06, 09:56 PM

Critic’s Notebook
Let's sweep sweeps off TV schedules
By Mark McGuire Albany Times Union staff writer

If you needed another reason to kill off television sweeps periods, I'd ask you to check out the third season of "Lost."

Oh, you can't. Never mind.

"Lost" isn't scheduled to return until after Thanksgiving. And Christmas, New Year's, MLK Day and the Super Bowl.

After six weeks on, fans have to settle in for 13 off. (Makes you wish you could get a three-month vacation with summers off, eh?) But Feb. 7 is a long way off. Will we still care?

The ABC drama is giving way to "Day Break" (debuting at 9 p.m. Wednesday, WTEN Ch. 10), another serialized drama. The trade-off scheduling allows "Lost" to showcase episodes uninterrupted by reruns -- which do poorly when the series in question is a serial -- while giving viewers fresh episodes of another offering every week. Then "Lost" can come back for the stretch run, including the February and May sweeps.

It's a math problem:

A broadcast series airs 22-24 original episodes over the course of a 35-week season stretching from September to May.

The logical thing would be to air 22 straight episodes of one series followed by 13 weeks of another -- think about how Fox schedules "24." But logic is thwarted by sweeps, those four-week periods in November, February and May where viewership is closely monitored as a means of determining advertising rates. (There is also a local July sweeps period, but it's virtually ignored.)

Electronic measuring devices are being installed in more and more markets throughout the country, replacing the dated diary entries used during sweeps. (Albany is a "diary" market.) Technology may soon render sweeps -- and the traditional makeup of the broadcast season -- obsolete.

These meters will soon be in place throughout all the Top 25 markets, representing nearly half of the nation's viewers. It's coming, even if smaller local stations like those in and around Albany don't want to foot the bill for the technology. (The annual cost can be in the high six figures.)

Eventually, maybe within five years, a critical mass will be reached and networks will de-emphasize the November-February-May axis. Being able to continually track viewership would eradicate the necessity for these very special periods, with their very special episodes and important local news investigations you can't miss. (Coming up next: What does happen when you put a puppy in a microwave?)

In recent years, broadcast execs have become too fond of playing cute with their schedules, moving pieces around and around, on and off, to the point where viewers have no clue where their favorite show is. Even critics can't tell where programs are without a, um, program.

Once sweeps are eradicated, whole seasons of a given series can run uninterrupted, then be replaced by another shorter-run series. An example: "Lost" would run for 22 episodes, ending around February, and then be replaced by "Day Break." Shorter-run series -- six episodes or less, could also be incorporated throughout the year.

And sweeps could finally be swept out of our lives.

Sick doctors

If you're a TV character, don't ever get sick.

Oh, the doctors are all brilliant, and will likely cure you. But they will be such misanthropes that in the process you may walk out of the hospital in disgust, opting for your disease over one more minute with the jerk.

The standard-bearer for these anti-Marcus Welbys is Dr. Gregory House (Hugh Laurie) of the Fox series "House" (9 p.m. Tuesdays, WXXA Ch. 23). A brilliant diagnostician, House has a problem with basic human interaction. The character and show are among the best on TV.

CBS hopes to tap into that great bad doctor vein with the replacement drama "3 LBS" (10 PM ET/PT Tuesday). Unfortunately, this is a pale imitation, one that reeks of a rip-off (like Fox sometimes does with its lesser reality shows).

Stanley Tucci ("The Devil Wears Prada") plays Dr. Doug Hanson, a neurosurgeon who looks at the brain as a box of wires, and takes little to no time to get to know patients. (The title refers to the average weight of the organ.) Mark Feuerstein co-stars as Jonathan Seger, a new fellow under Hanson who believes you must get to learn the patient in order to help them.

Hanson is no House, and neither is this drama.

http://timesunion.com/AspStories/storyprint.asp?StoryID=533712

fredfa

11-13-06, 09:59 PM

Thought I read somewhere else in here that The Nine was already dead or on the "expect to cancel" list? Maybe I'm remembering incorrectly. I'll be sad to see it go.

I've got "The Nine" in the "In Trouble" category in the second post.

That's compiled from everything I have heard and read.

Personally I don't think it will make it. But we'll see.

fredfa

11-13-06, 10:01 PM

You are right, as usual, RemyM. But the NFL will do everything it can to make NBC happy. Network prime time exposure is very, very important to the league.

RemyM

11-13-06, 10:05 PM

Of course the NFL wants the ratings, but there are other factors, like balancing the games taken from CBS and FOX. NBC doesn't have free will like some of these reports make it sound like.

fredfa

11-13-06, 10:13 PM

TV Review
“3 Lbs.”
Bottom Line: This is brain surgery but the outcome is less than ideal.
By Barry Garron The Hollywood Reporter Nov. 13, 2006

There is now preliminary evidence, albeit anecdotal, that the lack of a medical drama on a broadcast network can exert enough pressure on the cranial sections of program executives to cloud their judgments. We shouldn't oversimplify, of course. A network is a complicated organism, and much more study is needed, but this finding does explain the arrival of "3 Lbs." (10 PM ET/PT, Tuesday) on CBS.

Although competently produced, the series about doctors who specialize in brain maladies lacks a dramatic spark. Characters aren't fully formed; stories aren't arresting. Sometimes it even seems like the show was created from the transplanted organs of other series.

The central figure, brain surgeon Doug Hanson (Stanley Tucci), is arrogant and abrasive, though not entirely without compassion, making him a "7" on the 1-10 "House" scale. That puts him smack in the middle of a character no man's land -- neither outrageous enough nor heroic enough to capture our fascination. Mostly, he functions as the embodiment of the idea that the brain is just a complex motherboard, repairable by a good technician with accurate schematics.

The yin to Hansen's yang is Jonathan Seger (Mark Feuerstein), a brain surgeon newly selected for a fellowship that lets him work alongside Hansen and learn from the master. Seger is empathetic and patient though, at least initially, naive about intra-hospital politics and rivalries.

Then there's Adrianne Holland (Indira Varma), a barefoot neurologist with a holistic bent whose appearance in the series contributes more to the level of diversity than to the dynamics of the drama.

Three episodes sent to reviewers reveal a sameness from week to week. Opening scenes show a normal and happy individual who then has a seizure or blacks out. Computer graphics a la "CSI" fill the screen with neural pathways in bright colors and then, boom! -- we're in the Hansen Institute staring at enough brain scans to wallpaper the Mayo Clinic. Each patient has an impossible dilemma to resolve, and each is accompanied by a spouse or guardian who plays devil's advocate. There's a "B" story, as well, played mainly for emotional purposes and lacking much depth.

The series is the brainchild of Peter Ocko, who has promised to explore the personal lives of the doctors in greater depth later. For now, though, all we get are shallow and hurried romances that dissolve faster than denture tablets. In the second episode, for example, Seger has a fling with a patient's lawyer that ends so quickly it makes a one-night stand feel leisurely by comparison.

Tucci's skills as an actor are not debatable and his being recast into the lead (and given producer credit) likely took the show up a notch. Great care is evident in the way cases are explained and presented and in the production design. With all that, though, there still needs to be compelling characters and engaging stories, both of which are present here only in trace amounts.

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/television/reviews/article_display.jsp?&rid=8232

fredfa

11-13-06, 10:35 PM

TV Review
“3 Lbs.”
Brain Guys and Gals, Hard at Work.
By Alessandra Stanley The New York Times Nov. 14, 2006

“3 Lbs” does not refer to the minimum weight loss required to qualify for the next round of NBC’s shape-up show, “The Biggest Loser.”

Three pounds is the approximate weight of a brain, and it’s also a new medical drama that begins on CBS tonight. The network chose the title “3 Lbs” to remind viewers that no matter how much the series looks like “House” on Fox and “Grey’s Anatomy” on ABC, it’s about brain surgeons, and that is completely different.

The spleen, the liver and other humdrum organs that seize up on rival medical shows are not nearly as complex.

Dr. Doug Hanson (Stanley Tucci), the cold, cranky head of neurosurgery at a New York hospital, is not at all like the cold, cranky Dr. Gregory House (Hugh Laurie). House’s misanthropy is fed by the pain caused by his crippled leg. Hanson’s misanthropy is totally different — he has a tiny abnormality in his brain that causes him to be arrogant and abrupt. (He also hallucinates occasionally.)

Blaring pop ballads do punch up the show’s emotional moments in the style of “Grey’s Anatomy.” And sure, Hanson strips down to his underpants in front of a pretty medical equipment saleswoman in the neurosurgery locker room (Brain Surgeons Only). Yet “3 Lbs” is absolutely not like “Grey’s Anatomy.” However physically fit, Hanson is bald and bears no resemblance to Dr. McDreamy or Dr. McSteamy. Hanson is Dr. McBrainy.

It would be totally unfair to think that the gruesome “Fantastic Voyage” close-ups of brain tissue and blood vessels are borrowed from “House.” The “CSI” series have been doing that for years, which practically makes it a CBS trademark: Katie Couric may well start using them to illustrate medical features on the “CBS Evening News.”

Copycat television is as old as television, and so it is pointless to quibble with CBS for doing what every network does every season: NBC’s hit show “Heroes” is an imitation of “Lost” on ABC. It stands to reason that CBS would try to siphon some of the success of rival networks’ medical dramas. The question is not whether “3 Lbs” is familiar and predictable, but whether “3 Lbs” is entertaining. It is, and mostly because it is so familiar and predictable.

Serialized dramas like “24” and “Lost” require surprise and sneaky cliff-hangers to keep viewers attentive, but as this season has proved, there are too many such shows on the schedule. CBS’s most vaunted serialized drama, “Smith,” was canceled, which is why the network picked up a procedural medical show to take its place.

A procedural, be it a crime series like “Law & Order” or a medical show like “House” or “3 Lbs,” is a genre that works by staying within well-marked boundaries. These series wrap a fillip of surprise (patricide, ulcers) into a comfortingly familiar framework. Each episode begins with an average person guilelessly going about the day until fate strikes. On “Law & Order,” cab drivers, joggers and quarreling couples stumble on a dead body and set off a whodunit. On medical shows, a housewife, soccer coach or a concert violinist suddenly keels over, setting off a whatdunit.

Crime shows work the good cop/bad cop routine; a show about neurosurgeons goes for left brain/right brain.

A brilliant, crabby surgeon needs a younger, sweeter apprentice to counterbalance his rudeness and arrogance. Accordingly, Dr. Jonathan Seger (Mark Feuerstein), the young neurosurgeon who won a prestigious fellowship to work alongside Hanson, takes a dim view of his boss’s manner. Seger meditates before surgery, has empathy for patients and tries to compensate for Hanson’s brusqueness.

When a young violinist collapses midconcert, the doctors discover that she has a brain tumor. Hanson has no patience for the mother’s anxiety and pleas for alternatives to surgery, but Seger gently tries to coax Hanson into trying a little kindness.

“It’s my experience that the emotional state of the family can impact the physiological resilience of the patient,” Seger says.

With a fish-eye stare, Hanson replies, “I’ve found that taking the tumor out of the skull is fairly effective as well.”

Seger marvels at the miraculous mystery of the human brain. Hanson views it as “wires in a box.”

In between those clashing sensibilities stands Dr. Adrianne Holland (Indira Varma), a beautiful neurologist who has compassion and also a bit of snap. Viewers can tell she and Seger have sexual chemistry because she says so in the premiere.

They chat flirtatiously in an elevator until Seger mentions that he has a girlfriend in Los Angeles who might move to New York. “And just like that, the sexual tension is gone,” he says.

She gives him a sultry parting look. “Not completely,” she purrs.

“3 Lbs” may dabble in neuroscience, but it’s not brain surgery.

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/11/14/arts/television/14stan.html?ref=television&pagewanted=print

fredfa

11-14-06, 12:07 AM

TV Notebook
Al-Jazeera aims for no 'accent' in English
By Peter Johnson USA Today

Al-Jazeera, the Arab news network the Bush administration says is a tool of al-Qaeda, will launch Wednesday its English version, which will be available in 70 million households worldwide.

Al-Jazeera International will broadcast from Doha, Qatar, and from bureaus in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia; London; and Washington, D.C. Cable and satellite distribution deals are expected to be announced today.

Programs will include talk and feature shows and several daily newscasts featuring live reports from the four regions with "different cultural views of the day's events," says Will Stebbins, AJI's Washington bureau chief.

"There's an appetite for international news that doesn't come from a specific national perspective," he says. "We're not going to have any accent."

Dave Marash, a former ABC Nightline correspondent who'll co-anchor a daily newscast, says Al-Jazeera got a black eye from the Bush administration for airing Osama bin Laden videotapes and live reports from Fallujah, Iraq.

Al-Jazeera reported news in both cases, he says, and its journalistic "aspirations, tactics and techniques" are like those of any mainstream news outlet. "No holds barred, political ideology, party affiliation. When people actually see the product, I think a lot of that (criticism) is going to go away."

The White House issued a tepid welcome. "A free press has the responsibility to report news responsibly and accurately, and we work with all outlets that do so," spokeswoman Dana Perino said.

In the USA, most cable firms have refused to give AJI channel space, which means, for now, AJI will primarily be available at English.aljazeera.net.

That will limit Al-Jazeera's reach, says Tom Rosenstiel of the Project for Excellence in Journalism. The Web "is the technology of the future, but it remains to be seen what kind of impact that can have as a platform for a largely TV-driven product."

http://www.usatoday.com/life/television/news/2006-11-13-al-jazeera-cover_x.htm

• • • • • • • • • • •

English Al-Jazeera expects 'scrutiny'
By Peter Johnson USA Today

WASHINGTON — The newsroom at Al-Jazeera International on K Street is newer than most — everything is digital — but producers and editors monitor events around the globe via computer just as they do at CNN, NBC, ABC and CBS.

Competitors, however, "are owned by conglomerates that determine what they do and don't do," while AJI is bankrolled by the emir of Qatar, says producer Sol Levine, who once ran CNN's Crossfire. "His only directive has been to be different, balanced and to report what people don't see on other networks."

AJI viewers "will hear voices, many of them angry and unhappy from the southern portion of the globe that you may not see on any of our competitors' networks," says anchor Dave Marash, a former Nightline correspondent.

Says Marash: "Even if you think about it in the most adversarial way, you want to know your enemy, and a lot of people consider themselves our enemy, so better we should know what's on their minds than to pretend it isn't there."

The Pentagon remains outwardly cool toward Al-Jazeera for what it perceives as pro-terrorist coverage.

But AJI talk show host Josh Rushing, a former U.S. Marine captain who served as a spokesman during the invasion of Iraq, says that "senior military officers" are glad they will now be able to watch AJI coverage in English and will have the chance to appear on the channel. Rushing says AJI will appeal to Americans who "are craving alternative sources of information and are comfortable with it."

Ghida Fakhry, who will co-anchor with Marash, says American viewers, "once they see this is not some new monster when the word 'Al-Jazeera' appears on the screen, will slowly look at it and see that this is very different from the rhetoric they have been hearing about the network."

Harvard media analyst Alex Jones says Arabic Al-Jazeera may "have a blood-and-thunder version for the Arab world and something more like the BBC for the West."

Cable news competitors are unfazed. Fox News had no comment, and MSNBC said AJI is not on its radar. Said CNN spokeswoman Laurie Goldberg: "There are almost 100 news channels around the world, and AJI becomes another."

But AJI, which will focus on Africa, South America, Asia and the Middle East, "will undoubtedly appeal to a segment of the global audience, particularly in developing countries" often ignored by mainstream media, says Richard Sambrook, director of BBC Global News.

Says AJI producer Kelly Rockwell, who used to work at CBS and ABC News: "We know there's going to be scrutiny, so we're making sure we are as balanced as possible. We'll have such a global audience that we are going to be criticized, so we are going to be very cautious in our delivery. That has been drilled from Day One."

http://www.usatoday.com/life/columnist/mediamix/2006-11-13-media-mix_x.htm

fredfa

11-14-06, 12:25 AM

Critic’s Notebook
More ''Friday Night''
By Rich Heldenfels in his Akron Beacon Journal blog Nov. 13, 2006

I have a sticky note on my desk listing the shows I want to write about here: ''Saturday Night Live,'' ''Jericho,'' ''Veronica Mars,'' ''Lost,'' ''Studio 60,'' ''My Name Is Earl,'' ''The Office'' ... and ''Friday Night Lights.''

I'll take a moment now to deal with ''Friday Night Lights,'' and not only because NBC gave out some good news about it today. It is so thoughtful, so grim, so determined not to be a bright-lights portrayal of life that can better just because the team wins the big game. Instead, it has become more and more about trying to be moral in a moral swamp -- especially in terms of the coach, played by Kyle Chandler, who wants right and wrong to be absolutes while operating in a world where no one, including himself at times, can see things that clearly. Still an amazing, disturbing show. So here's NBC's announcement:

NBC has given a full-season order for 2006-07 to its critically hailed freshman drama "Friday Night Lights" (Tuesdays, 8-9 p.m. ET), it was announced today by Kevin Reilly, President, NBC Entertainment.

"We're proud to reward an authentic, poignant series like 'Friday Night Lights' with a full-season order, demonstrating our confidence in it's appeal and quality," said Reilly. "Television critics and devoted fans have supported the show with well-deserved praise for the executive producers, writers and exceptionally talented cast."

To which I can only add, three cheers.

http://blogs.ohio.com/beacon_tv/

fredfa

11-14-06, 12:32 AM

Critic’s Notebook
"Friday Night Lights:" Dim, yet still shining
By David Kronke Los Angeles Daily News Television Critic in his “The Mayor Of Television” blog Nov. 13, 2006

NBC, having previously announced that it'll sandblast its first hour of primetime of that pesky scripted drama in the 2007-08 season, has opted this season to go out in a blaze of glory: Despite underwhelming ratings for its critically admired dramas "Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip" and "Friday Night Lights," have picked both up for the remainder of the season. "Studio 60's" back nine were ordered last week, while "Friday Night Lights" was offered more life-support today.

“We’re proud to reward an authentic, poignant series like ‘Friday Night Lights’ with a full-season order, demonstrating our confidence in it’s [sic] appeal and quality,” Entertainment president Kevin Reilly was quoted as saying in a press release issued this afternoon. “Television critics and devoted fans have supported the show with well-deserved praise for the executive producers, writers and exceptionally talented cast.” Though the show's praise was deemed "well-deserved" in the press release, it was also "faint" by network hype standards: The phrase "a handful of" was airbrushed from just before the words "devoted fans" in the quote, as was the rhetorical flourish, "After all, what else can we do at this point?"

So: NBC, apparently with not a lot of other options - there're only so many "Deal or No Deals" and "1 Vs. 100s" they can foist upon the public in any given quarter - makes a last-gasp stand for quality programming. Though the network needs to find someplace, anyplace for "Friday Night Lights" - if you think its ratings are low now, just wait until "American Idol" returns. It will be interesting to see what, if any, this announcement has on viewership of tomorrow's episode of "Friday Night Lights." But if this season unjustly winds up costing Reilly his job, as some forecast, he'll at least be able to leave knowing he took the high road. Let's see how that rewards him when he starts looking for his next job.

http://www.insidesocal.com/tv/

archiguy

11-14-06, 07:11 AM

Thought I read somewhere else in here that The Nine was already dead or on the "expect to cancel" list? Maybe I'm remembering incorrectly. I'll be sad to see it go.

I think 'Friday Night Lights' and 'Studio 60' both have ratings numbers worse than 'The Nine', don't they? And they've been picked up. If so, that's reason for hope...

bphisig

11-14-06, 07:46 AM

I think 'Friday Night Lights' and 'Studio 60' both have ratings numbers worse than 'The Nine', don't they? And they've been picked up. If so, that's reason for hope...
Yes, but ABC has a much stronger schedule overall. And also, NBC will have to fill Sunday nights after the NFL season is over, so they have to keep some of the low-rated shows around.

fredfa

11-14-06, 10:21 AM

TV Review
“3 Lbs.”
What part of brain handles repetition?
Premise of CBS' `3 Lbs.' gives the medical show a seen-it-all-before tone and sensibility
By Robert Lloyd Los Angeles Times Staff Writer November 14, 2006

There is a high rate of redundancy in television, which is full of shows that are quite like other shows, telling stories quite like those told on other shows quite like them. (I was about to write "an unavoidably high rate," but these things are a matter of choice, after all.) This is true even of many good series, in which the ingredients are varied or combined in such a way as to make them cohere into some new yet familiar flavor, the way, say, a well-made lasagna might taste different from any you have eaten before and yet still, evidently, be lasagna.

It is also true that people are often willing to watch something that resembles something that they already like, even if it isn't as good as the original something, just because they can't get enough of it. (This describes most of what's on TV.)

So there is, theoretically, room in the world for "3 Lbs.," a new series about neurosurgeons — the title refers to the average weight of a human brain — that premieres tonight on CBS in place of the quickly departed "Smith." That it's hard not to think of "House" while watching it — prickly genius surrounded by younger foils — or indeed of other "House"-like shows (including the network's own "Shark"), and that brain surgery is already being regularly practiced on "House" and on "Grey's Anatomy," should not necessarily be held against it. Even at 3 pounds, there is enough brain to go around, being the seat of consciousness and all.

Still, the fact that, like "House," each episode of "3 Lbs." begins with a patient-to-be having some sort of attack or seizure in the course of his or her daily business — accompanied by computer graphics that rush you inside the body to the hugely magnified trouble spot — might lead you to suspect that writer and executive producer Peter Ocko, a veteran of "Boston Legal" and "Dead Like Me," has been looking at his neighbor's paper when he should have been concentrating on his own.

The nub of this particular drama are the opposing philosophies and doctoring styles of peerlessly talented neurosurgeon Doug Hanson (the House figure, played by Stanley Tucci) and his new fellow Dr. Jonathan Seger (Mark Feuerstein). Hanson thinks of the brain as "wires in a box," while Seger believes in treating the whole person. "I can't screw around in somebody's head and not know whose soul I'm bumping up against," he says. Again, this sort of argument is typical of medical dramas, and (as is also typical) one sides with Hanson, because his hand is reliably sure and his jokes are better.

"It's my experience that the emotional state of the family can impact the physiological resilience of a patient," Seger tells Hanson.

"I've found taking the tumor out of the patient's skull is fairly effective as well," Hanson replies. The fact that the touchy-feely doctor has a mouth full of jargon, while the apparently unfeeling one speaks the language of ordinary humans is a nice touch. But this dualism is broadly drawn and schematic, and will soon wear itself out. While it's quite watchable if you don't expect much from it, and while even though the cast is good company — Tucci works his trademark somnolent charm, and Feuerstein is likable, as are the barefoot neurosurgeon played by Indira Varma and the not-sure- who-he-is-yet-exactly other doctor played by Armando Riesco — the show is not vivid or daring enough to overcome one's sense of having seen it all before. And there's a pedantic tone to the dialogue — characters are always explaining things, even to characters who should already know what's being explained to them — that keeps the drama from erupting into messy life.

"3 Lbs." is ultimately undone by this moderation and by a seeming confusion of intent, as if the creators, producers, executives and actors couldn't quite agree on what exactly they were doing.

As a result, it has no teeth. Though Hanson is reputed to be a cold man who eats his protégés for breakfast and washes them down with a cocktail of puppies and small children, Tucci plays him as a no worse than a slightly grumpy pussycat whose ability to divide feeling from fact makes him just the man you'd want knocking around inside your head. That he's having hallucinations himself is obviously meant to bloom into a Major Story Arc, and the sooner the better.

http://www.calendarlive.com/tv/cl-et-3lbs14nov14,0,589635,print.story?coll=cl-tvent

fredfa

11-14-06, 10:26 AM

The Business of TV
Staffers at NBC News are bracing for layoffs
About 40 employees are expected to be cut this week in a revamp that may shrink the unit by 400 jobs over two years.
By Matea Gold Los Angeles Times Staff Writer November 14, 2006

NEW YORK — NBC News employees are bracing this week as the network news division undergoes a pre-Thanksgiving round of layoffs, part of a corporate-wide restructuring announced last month.

In the first phase of job cuts at the network news division, about 40 employees are expected to be given pink slips by Wednesday.

The newsmagazine "Dateline" — which has one of the largest staffs with more than 150 employees — is slated to field the most cuts, but staffers are also being laid off from morning powerhouse "Today" and, to a lesser extent, the top-ranked "NBC Nightly News."

"I don't think it's about proportionate cuts at each show, but rather what can be cut without damaging the product," said one network executive who did not want to be named discussing internal matters.

In all, NBC's 6,000-person news operation — which includes cable channels MSNBC and CNBC, 10 network-owned affiliates and Spanish-language network Telemundo — is expected to shrink by about 400 positions over two years, according to network sources.

NBC News officials said the majority of this year's staff reductions were being achieved through voluntary buyouts.

"While conversations like this can always be very difficult, it was made easier by the fact that we had more volunteers than we expected," NBC News spokeswoman Allison Gollust said.

The cuts are part of a broader initiative called NBCU 2.0 announced last month by NBC Universal, which aims to save $750 million over two years by eliminating 700 jobs company-wide and producing less-expensive prime-time programming.

NBC News President Steve Capus said last month that a large share of the cuts would be accomplished by eliminating redundancies throughout the news division, such as separate graphics and booking departments for each show.

Last week, the first notices were issued to "Dateline" staffers, including Chicago-based correspondents Rob Stafford and Edie Magnus, both 10-year NBC veterans. Employees at "Today" and "NBC Nightly News" who are losing their jobs should be informed by midweek because executives want to get through the layoffs before the holiday season.

As part of the cost-cutting, MSNBC's New Jersey office will be shuttered and its employees relocated, most to a new central newsroom that will be built on the third floor of NBC's Rockefeller Center. The move isn't expected to be complete until mid- to late 2007.

In an interview published Monday in trade magazine Broadcasting & Cable, "Today" co-anchor Matt Lauer said that although he did not believe that the cuts would hurt the morning show, the layoffs had triggered some anxiety.

"I would be lying if I told you there isn't a little bit of uncertainty around here," Lauer told the magazine. "Are there people here who are looking over their shoulder a little bit? Absolutely. Is there a certain amount of redundancy in the news division? Absolutely, some of it can go. We are dealing with reality. In the past, in some ways, we dealt a little with fantasy. Now reality is setting in, and there will have to be some hard decisions made."

http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-nbc14nov14,1,1842005,print.story?coll=la-headlines-business

fredfa

11-14-06, 10:30 AM

TV Preview
'3 Lbs.,' by the looks of it a lot lighter
Stanley Tucci is certainly a fine, original actor By Andrew Lyons for medialifemagazine Nov 14, 2006

Good-bye Ray Liotta, hello Stanley Tucci. It was the abrupt cancellation of Liotta’s caper drama “Smith” that opened up the hole in CBS's schedule that Tucci’s “3 Lbs.” is stepping in to fill tonight at 10.

It wasn’t supposed to happen this way. “Smith,” with an impressive pedigree that included executive producer John Wells and actors Liotta and Virginia Madsen, was supposed to evoke comparisons to the stellar 1995 De Niro/Pacino heist flick “Heat.” But viewers were not impressed, despite its strong pacing and fine acting, and the show was canceled after just three episodes.

If early buzz on "3 Lbs." is any indication, Tucci shouldn’t get too comfy. He soon may be following Liotta out the door. Though he's certainly a fine actor, and an original, "3 Lbs.," a medical drama, is being dismissed as a knockoff of the two hits shows that dominate that genre, "House" and "Grey's Anatomy."

There's not much to wonder about knockoffs. They're common in any industry. The wonder is why an actor of Tucci’s caliber would sign up for a drama that has so little that's original.

The series is set in the world of top-tier brain surgeons (thus the title, which refers to the weight of a human brain). Tucci is Dr. Doug Hanson, the brilliant but troubled neurosurgeon whose arrogance is both off-putting and intriguing, a role already mastered by Hugh Laurie on "House."

Mark Feuerstein is Dr. Jonathan Seger, the idealistic newcomer to the New York hospital where Hanson rules. Seger’s more contemplative, emotional manner naturally clashes with the brusque Hanson.

Conflict ensues--and in theory a new series as the two doctors work out their differences and become better men, or at least better doctors, for it.

Tucci is best known for his work in film (“Big Night”). But he did make an impressive showing during the first season of the bold 1995 series “Murder One.” Maybe he only accepts offers to star in series with numbers in the title.

Feuerstein has made a career out of playing blandly likable guys in blandly unlikable shows like “Conrad Bloom” and the truly awful “Good Morning, Miami.” He has done quality work (“In Her Shoes”) but his appearance in any television series is a warning sign. Overall, his track record doesn’t inspire confidence. He may not be television's angel of death, but he's one of them.

As it turns out, the reviews of “3 Lbs.” seem to justify those apprehensions. The almost universal criticism is that it’s an unimpressive knockoff.

Entertainment Weekly’s Gillian Flynn calls it a “House” wannabe. USA Today’s Robert Bianco tags it a ripoff. The Fort-Worth Star Telegram’s Robert Philpot dismisses it by saying, “It’s like ‘House’ without the zippy sarcasm (there’s sarcasm, but there isn’t zip).”

Critics who don't trash "3 Lbs." still largely dismiss it as mediocre and uninspired. People's Tom Gliatto calls it a routine medical drama that offers viewers little that's new. The Chicago Sun-Times’ Doug Elfman quips: "There are about 9 ounces more sentimental schmaltz in ‘3 Lbs.’ than in ‘House.’”

The Washington Post's Judith S. Gillies isn't wowed by the acting, writing, “Hanson seems too stern and Seger too eager.”
None of this should be surprising. While CBS is doing its best to promote "3 Lbs." as an engaging new drama, the series has actually been kicking around for some time. The show was originally created for the 2005-06 season but wasn’t picked up. It was then recast and retooled as a mid-season replacement for this year.

Then “Smith” tanked, leaving the network little choice but to march out "3 Lbs." as a quickie replacement. Whatever the network’s earlier misgivings, they quickly gave way to the need to fill a hole. The CBS buzz machine then kicked in to portray "3 Lbs." as having more weight than it actually has.

http://www.medialifemagazine.com/artman/publish/printer_8516.asp

fredfa

11-14-06, 10:38 AM

Monday’s metered market over-night prime-time ratings – and Media Week Analyst Marc Berman’s view of what they mean -- have been posted just under the HD Football listings near the top of Ratings News the first post in this thread.

fredfa

11-14-06, 10:47 AM

Free speech is getting less frequent on the "CBS Evening News."

A daily commentary segment that was launched when Katie Couric took over the newscast, "Free Speech" has opened up the program to outside voices but also drawn strong criticism from some network staffers.

Now Couric and her executive producer, Rome Hartman, have decided to cut back the feature to somewhere between one and three times a week, in part to make room for more news.

"We had to figure out how it would work and how it wouldn't work, to see what soared and what splatted," Hartman says. "We've learned that timeliness is important," and that it's better to have the commentaries "feel like they're part of the news rather than out of left field."

Among the network's correspondents, he says, "some people felt it was taking up air time that might otherwise go to them, which is understandable. And some people just didn't like the idea of opinion. But a significant number of people felt the other way."

"Free Speech," which has also provided the umbrella for Bob Schieffer's weekly commentary -- the status of which is now unclear -- did not air at all last week.

The segment has provided a precious 90 seconds of the newscast, for example, to a protesting Gallaudet University student and an illegal immigrant identified only as Carlos. When an 89-year-old driver was convicted of killing 10 people in Santa Monica, Calif., CBS gave air time to a physician who was hospitalized for three months after being hit by an elderly driver.

But the segment has also given a forum to those who already have pretty big platforms: Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity, Arianna Huffington, National Public Radio's Juan Williams and Katrina vanden Heuvel, editor of the Nation, along with such prominent politicians as Rudy Giuliani and Sen. Barack Obama.

Hartman says he and Couric are now leaning more toward "regular folks" over "the I'm-famous-and-I-have-something-to-say model."

Parting Words

In another change for "CBS Evening News," the program now has to get along without Jim Stewart, who is retiring to Florida.

During his 17 years as a correspondent, it became increasingly difficult to stick to his mission of covering the FBI, CIA and terrorism, Stewart says.

"More and more of my time was spent answering to the whim of the moment, even if it wasn't going to be put on the air, and less time covering my beat," he says. "It was to answer the question in the mind of an executive in a nanosecond about something they saw on a cable channel. Literally 15 times a week, I would get what are called check-it-outs. It would be breaking news on MSNBC that white powder was found on a subway in Chicago, or something like that."

Stewart, 60, is admired in the business for his aggressive style. He says the networks have been hurt by the shrinking number of Washington correspondents and the loss of those specializing in such beats as the State Department, aviation or the environment.

"When you lose beat reporters, you lose depth," he says. "You lose a sense of what you're talking about." With the exception of ABC's disclosure of Rep. Mark Foley's e-mails to congressional pages, he says, "I don't remember a time lately when the networks really broke big news. Certainly there's less expertise available to the networks. We've become generalists, to our detriment."

Stewart had considered retiring earlier, but "the money in broadcast journalism can be very intoxicating and make you almost addicted to sticking around for that one more contract."

Stewart says Katie Couric was indirectly responsible for his 1990 hiring. CBS decided it needed a second reporter at the Pentagon, he says, after NBC tapped Couric as the No. 2 correspondent there.

But he struggled to make the transition from his previous job at Cox Newspapers. "For the first six months I was lost," Stewart says. But he says he became more valuable to the network after Iraq invaded Kuwait, triggering the Persian Gulf War.

"Saddam saved my job," says Stewart.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/11/12/AR2006111201036_pf.html

fredfa

11-14-06, 10:54 AM

TV Review
“3 Lbs.”
This show is brain surgery, and it's deadly
By Jonathan Storm Philadelphia Inquirer Columnist

In a coming episode of 3 Lbs., CBS's new doctor show, surgeons cut a woman's brain down the middle to alleviate her seizures, which gives the right side of her head equal power with the left. Normally, the doctors explain, the left side kind of tells the right side what to do.

Then they do tests and discover that green is her right side's favorite color. Her left side, apparently, has overruled that idea all her life. "Green is not my favorite color," she says. Both sides agree, however, that she dislikes brussels sprouts more than any other food.

They could cut my brain into 100 pieces, and they all would agree: 3 Lbs. is the most boring new show this season. And the chop-'em-up might not feel a whole lot worse than actually watching it.

3 Lbs. comes off the bench into the Tuesdays-at-10 slot to replace Smith, which lasted all of three weeks. That was a perplexing look at criminals, starring Ray Liotta, and 3 Lbs. is a perplexing look at brain surgeons, starring Stanley Tucci, who plays Dr. Doug Hanson.

It was bad enough following Liotta around, trying to imagine how he could be so smart one minute and so dumb the next. But at least most viewers had a general idea about the mechanics of Liotta's occupation. Bank robbery isn't exactly brain surgery.

But brain surgery is exactly brain surgery, and who knows anything about that? So before they cut, they have to explain all the wild and wonderful whys and wherefores.

That can be fascinating on Nova, the PBS science show, but here it somehow affects the hoo-hah lobe of a viewer's cerebral blah-blah, which bypasses the cognitive frammis, causing dual involuntary, situational, blepharoptosis - droopy eyelids, to you, nitwit. And that's followed by the acutely reduced state of cortical activity often referred to as sleep.

If Hanson's skull-saw blades were as dull as his show, he'd have to go into hypnotism. But 3 Lbs. has beaten him to it.

Tucci is understatedly great as a modified version of snarly Dr. Gregory House. Instead of a gimp limp, he has mysterious hallucinations in which he sees an ethereal little girl. I don't know why, and I have a pretty good idea the show won't last long enough for anybody to find out.

The meanie doctor tells us several times an hour that the brain is just "a box and wires," and we see over and over that he doesn't give a rusty scalpel for the personal lives of his patients.

That's not very original, so the writers throw in another stock character to balance it out. Mark Feuerstein plays touchy-feely sawbones Dr. Jonathan Seger. "I can't screw around in somebody's head and not know his soul," says he.

The dynamic between these two is supposed to be tension, but it feels more like a tension headache.

There's also an exotic neurologist who wears low-cut dresses and no shoes, maybe so it can be really clear that she doesn't toe the line, in medicine or in romance.

The title of a 2003 movie, 21 Grams, was supposed to refer to the weight of a soul, about three-quarters of an ounce. The pretentious 3 Lbs. refers to the weight of the average brain, though 21 grams might be closer for the weight of the brains of the TV geniuses who think anyone will be watching.

Besides copying House, 3 Lbs. borrows from C.S.I., using lots of colorful computer graphics to demonstrate its modern-day equivalent of the leg bone being connected to the knee bone.

But it will take lots more than animation and the occasional hallucination to put any sparkle into 3 Lbs., which, like its namesake, just sort of sits there, convoluted, gray and mushy.

http://www.philly.com/mld/philly/entertainment/television//16005361.htm?template=contentModules/printstory.jsp

fredfa

11-14-06, 10:56 AM

Upcoming Premiere Dates

Today, Nov. 14
9:30 PM ET/PT Show Me The Money - ABC (Series Premiere)
10 PM ET/PT 3 lbs - CBS (Series Premiere) HD

Wednesday, Nov. 15
9 PM ET/PT Day Break - ABC (Series Premiere) HD
10 PM ET/PT Medium - NBC HD

fredfa

11-14-06, 11:41 AM

(From Marc Berman’s Tuesday, Nov. 13, 2006, Programming Insider blog at Mediaweek.com )
“The Closer” Season Finale (Finally!)

Hit drama The Closer will return on TNT with two back-to-back original episodes on Monday, Dec. 4 beginning at 8 PM ET/PT. TNT will also begin re-broadcasting all season two episodes on Tuesdays at 10 PM ET/PT. effective on Dec. 5, and a marathon of season one will be presented on Thanksgiving Day from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.

http://www.mediaweek.com/mw/newsletters/proginsider/index.jsp

fredfa

11-14-06, 11:54 AM

Monday’s updated fast national over night prime-time ratings – and Media Week Analyst Marc Berman’s view of what they mean -- have been posted just under the HD Football listings near the top of Ratings News the first post in this thread.

fredfa

11-14-06, 11:57 AM

Washington Notebook
NFL Gets Roughed Up On Hill
By John Eggerton Broadcasting & Cable 11/14/2006

Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Arlen Specter (R-Pa.) had some particularly tough questions for the NFL Tuesday, raising the spectre that the league might have violated antitrust laws in its move to seed its NFL Network cable network with regular season games.

If the NFL is raising prices and limiting distribution of the network without a countervailing business reason, doesn't that violate the Sherman antitrust act, Specter asked Landel Hobbs, Time Warner COO. Hobbs said he was not an attorney, but that the marketplace should settle the issue, not Washington.

Time Warner doesn't carry the NFL Network, arguing that it is too expensive and that it the NFL Network wants it carried on basic, while Time Warner wants it on a digital sports tier, where only those who want the channel will have to pay for it.

Hobbs said the channel at NFL's price would be one of TW's five most expensive, while its ratings aren't in the top 30.

The NFL decided not to sell an eight-game package to a network or outside cable operator--like Comcast from Specter's home state--but instead keep it in-house on its own NFL Network, which had previously been confined to replays, summaries, preseason games, and various sports shows. Then, it sought better carriage and more money given the added premium content.

Time Warner balked and doesn't carry the network. Comcast, which does carry the network, wants to move it to a sports tier. The NFL has sued to block that move, arguing it violates the contract.

In a committee hearing Tuesday on sports rights and the various carriage fights among cable, satellite and sports leagues, Specter also questioned why the NFL was not making its Sunday Ticket package, which has been a big draw for DirecTV, available to Comcast and other cable operators.

Jeffrey Pash, executive VP and general counsel of the NFL, said that to make it available to 80 million or so customers would undermine the basic economic structure of games delivered over broadcast TV.

DirecTV EVP Daniel Fawcett said that the Sunday Ticket exclusive contract raised no antitrust issues and was in keeping with Congress' intention in the 1992 Cable Act to promote competition from new entrants like satellite.

Hobbs said it was disingenuous for DirecTV to claim that it needs special protection through exclusivity and that it was "past time that DirecTV realize it cannot play the new entrant card."

The committee is planning to hold a hearing Dec. 8 on vertical integration--distributors also owning programming--that could touch on some of the same subjects

http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/CA6390919.html?display=Breaking+News

fredfa

11-14-06, 12:18 PM

TV Notebook
Weak scripts burden strong actors in new network series
By Charlie McCollum San Jose Mercury News

It's relatively rare for a new series to get launched during November sweeps, when the networks are scratching and clawing for every eyeball. But this week, two newbies are being thrown in the pool and asked to swim for their Nielsen ratings lives.

Both ”3 Lbs.” (10 PM ET/PT, Tuesday, CBS) and ”Day Break” (9 PM ET/PT Wednesday, ABC) have at least one thing going for them -- strong actors in the lead role: Stanley Tucci (``The Devil Wears Prada'') in ``3 Lbs.'' and Taye Diggs (``Kevin Hill'') in ``Day Break.'' After that, though, they have serious problems, although their flaws are quite different.

If I had to bet, I would wager ``3 Lbs.'' stands the better chance of sticking around for more than a cup of coffee even though it's a strictly TV-by-the-numbers effort. (Its chances of longevity have more to do with the strength of CBS's Tuesday lineup than any inherent appeal.)

A medical drama set at an upscale hospital -- the place looks more like the magazine offices on ``Ugly Betty'' than County General on ``ER'' -- it's a Frankenstein of a TV show made up of bits and pieces of other series. There's a bit of ``CSI,'' a touch of ``Grey's Anatomy'' and a whopping slice of ``House.''

The problem is that all these spare parts don't add up to much. Tucci plays what has become a cliched character on TV: a brilliant brain surgeon who is aloof, sarcastic and flawed. As hard as Tucci tries -- and he tries very hard -- he can't make Dr. Doug Hanson into Dr. Gregory House. It's not his fault; the writers simply don't give him the dialogue and depth that Hugh Laurie gets to play with on ``House.''

Since none of the cases Hanson and his protege Jonathan Seger (Mark Feuerstein, ``The West Wing'') take on in the first couple of episodes are particularly interesting -- certainly not as intriguing as those on ``House'' -- the lack of character development and sharp writing is even more noticeable. Too bad, because Tucci is a first-rate actor who deserves better than this.

Diggs also deserves better -- even though ``Day Break'' is at least more watchable than ``3 Lbs.''

The latest in this season's string of high-concept, serialized dramas, ``Day Break'' has Diggs as LAPD detective Brett Hopper reliving the same really bad day over and over again for reasons that are maddeningly unclear. It's ``Groundhog Day'' minus Bill Murray, all the humor and any sense of internal logic.

The upside to the series is that Diggs is good enough and the production slick enough that, for a while, you might be willing to play along the don't-think-too-hard-about-it premise.

But fairly quickly, ``Day Break'' goes all ``X-Files'' on the audience and doesn't do it very well. (One key scene takes place in what looks like a leftover ``X-Files'' set and several key ``X-Files'' players -- Adam Baldwin, Mitch Pileggi -- turn up in supporting roles.) And Hopper's day becomes pretty boring after a while, no matter that he learns how to manipulate what takes place, and you'll probably be frustrated by the writers' failure to play by the rules they created for the show.

``Day Break'' is being asked to be a fill-in for ``Lost'' the next 13 weeks -- which would be a tough assignment under the best of circumstances. And ``Day Break'' simply isn't the best of circumstances.

Remote controls

• A moment of silence, please, for the passing of ”Gilmore Girls,” once one of TV's finest shows. I've given the show a handful of episodes this season to find its footing under new management. But now there's no denying that the once-sharp dialogue has gone dull. The residents of Stars Hollow have lost their quirky charm (or disappeared from the show altogether). Lorelai Gilmore (Lauren Graham) has gone soft. Rory Gilmore (Alexis Bledel) has gone bland and uninteresting. Last week's episode, a near-parody of the emotional drive and snappy repartee that once made this show great, was almost painful to watch. And Tuesday's installment (8 PM ET/PT CW) may put the nail in the coffin as Lorelai and Rory's father Christopher (David Sutcliffe) run off to Paris and get m,arried. After more than six years with the show, I may miss the wedding.

• She may be back later in the season, but Julia McNamara disappears from ”Nip/Tuck” Tuesday (10 PM ET/PT, FX). Actress Joely Richardson had to take time off from the series because her daughter is undergoing multiple surgeries for a rare circulation condition in her leg. The absence of both actress and character is a huge loss to the show, and the producers are still uncertain whether Richardson will be able to film any further scenes this season.

• Since the start of the new season, no returning series has generated more e-mails than ”Medium,” with fans plaintively asking when the show would return. Originally, that was going to be mid-season, but NBC has decided to bring it back early with a splashy two-hour opening episode this Wednesday (10PM ET/PT, NBC). The opener features a guest appearance by Thomas Jane (``61*''), star Patricia Arquette's husband, as an old boyfriend of Allison's who doesn't know he's dead, and animation artwork by Van Partible (``Johnny Bravo'') that shows up in some dream sequences.

http://www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercurynews/entertainment/television/16000102.htm

fredfa

11-14-06, 12:21 PM

Overnights in the 18-49 Demo
“House” rerun nearly doubles “Justice”
Hit doc repeat pulls a 3.3 rating in 18-49s
By Toni Fitzgerald MediaLifeMagazine.com staff writer Nov 14, 2006

CBS has long used “CSI” repeats to fill the holes in its schedule, and they often perform better than the duds they replace. Now Fox has found a similarly solid utility player in “House” reruns.

A “House” rerun, airing in place of the now-yanked “Justice,” averaged a 3.3 rating among adults 18-49 last night, according to Nielsen overnights. That’s 83 percent above the 1.8 that “Justice” earned in its final outing last week in the 9 p.m. timeslot.

It also gave Fox a major boost on the night, where new dramas “Justice” and, before that, “Vanished” have so far failed to hold lead-in “Prison Break’s” numbers.

Last night, Fox averaged a 3.5 rating for the evening, 30 percent better than the 2.7 the network averaged last Monday. That helped Fox edge ABC for No. 3 on the night in the demo.

“House” even finished ahead of ABC’s “Bachelor” at 9 p.m. among total viewers, averaging 9.23 million to the latter’s 8.77 million. In fact, “House” built slightly on “Break’s” 9.15 million viewers at 8 p.m.

“House” usually airs Tuesdays at 9 p.m. The show is by far Fox’s biggest fall hit, averaging a 6.8 in 18-49s in its most recent outing.

Meanwhile, elsewhere last night, NBC’s “Deal or No Deal” hit a new season high with a 5.5 in 18-49s and 18.0 million total viewers, just 243,00 behind last June’s series-best finale.

That paired with another strong episode of “Heroes” put NBC first for the night among 18-49s with a 5.1 average rating and a 13 share. CBS was second at 4.6/12, Fox third at 3.5/9, ABC fourth at 2.8/7, Univision fifth at 1.5/4 and CW sixth at 1.2/3.

NBC started the night in the lead with a 5.5 average at 8 p.m. for “Deal.” Fox was second with a 3.8 for “Break,” CBS third with a 3.2 average for “How I Met Your Mother” (3.4) and “The Class” (3.0) and ABC fourth with a 2.6 for “Wife Swap.” Univision finished fifth during the hour with a 2.1 average for “La Fea Mas Bella” and CW sixth with a 1.3 for “Everybody Hates Chris” (1.2) and “All of Us” (1.3).

NBC led again at 9 p.m., rising to a 6.5 average for “Heroes,” 0.1 behind last week’s series high. CBS moved to second with a 4.4 average for “Two and a Half Men” (4.9) and “The New Adventures of Old Christine” (3.8), with ABC third with a 3.4 for “The Bachelor,” Fox fourth with a 3.3 for a repeat of “House,” Univision fifth with a 1.5 for “Mundo de Fieras” and CW sixth with a 1.2 average for “Girlfriends” (1.4) and “The Game” (1.1).

CBS took over at 10 p.m. with a 6.2 for “CSI: Miami.” NBC fell to second with a 3.2 for “Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip,” with ABC third with a 2.5 for “What About Brian” and Univision fourth with a 1.1 for “Cristina.”

CBS was first for the night among households, averaging a 9.1 rating and a 14 share. NBC was second at 8.2/13, Fox third at 5.8/9, ABC fourth at 4.9/8, Univision fifth at 2.0/3 and CW sixth at 1.9/3.

http://www.medialifemagazine.com/artman/publish/article_8542.asp

fredfa

11-14-06, 12:27 PM

The Business of TV
More Peacock Plucking
By Peter Lauria The New York Post Nov. 14, 2006

NBC is expected to announce more layoffs at its news division by midweek, with the "Nightly News" and "Today" bearing the brunt of the bloodletting, The Post has learned.

According to several sources familiar with the situation, the layoffs at the "Nightly News" and "Today" are believed to number fewer than two dozen combined and are mainly from the correspondent, talent booker and producer ranks.

The move follows a similar round of cuts late last week at "Dateline," where 17 staffers were handed pink slips. NBC's news division, of which all three shows belong, has roughly 2,000 total employees.

As part of an initiative dubbed "NBC 2.0," the Peacock network last month said it would seek to save $750 million via the elimination of roughly 700 jobs and the relocation of MSNBC's offices to corporate headquarters at 30 Rockefeller Center.

The plan is the last hope of NBC Universal brass - including head honcho Bob Wright and his sidekick Jeff Zucker - to revive the fortunes of the struggling network.

When it rolled out plans for the cuts, NBC said it was aiming to announce this year's layoffs before Thanksgiving.

Sources initially expected the number of layoffs to be larger, but there have been a surprising number of employees who have accepted buyout offers.

Indeed, while an NBC News spokeswoman would not confirm the number or timing of layoffs, she did concede that pink slips would be handed out as part of the network's restructuring. She added, "Ultimately, we think there will be more voluntary [buyouts] than layoffs in this process."

NBC's fall television season has been a mixed bag so far.

The network has inched up to third place in the primetime ratings, slightly ahead of Fox. (News Corp. owns Fox and The Post.)

The Peacock network's bet on the NFL has paid off, with ratings for its "Sunday Night Football" telecast consistently among the top.

Its drama "Heroes" has been one of a handful of new television hits.

On the flip-side, viewers have not flocked to critical favorites "Friday Night Lights" or "30 Rock." The network has already canceled the sitcom "20 Good Years" and recently ordered new episodes of Aaron Sorkin's expensive series, "Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip," even though the show has not lived up to expectations. Reports have put the cost to produce a single episode of the series as high as $3 million.

http://www.nypost.com/php/pfriendly/print.php?url=http://www.nypost.com/seven/11142006/business/more_plucking_business_peter_lauria.htm

fredfa

11-14-06, 12:43 PM

The Business of TV
Al-Jazeera: yanked by yanks
Comcast backs away from Arab net
By Ali Jaafar Variety Nov. 14, 2006
(Michael Learmonth in New York contributed to this report.)

LONDON -- Al-Jazeera Intl. has all but conceded defeat in its effort to gain U.S. distribution in time for its worldwide launch Wednesday.

Execs at the nascent English-language offshoot of the Arab broadcaster said Comcast Communications pulled the plug on talks Monday on a deal the net considered essential to gaining a beachhead in the U.S.

The Associated Press last week reported Comcast had pulled out of talks but, in fact, negotiations continued, with Comcast offering to roll out the channel regionally. Comcast is the dominant operator in the Detroit area, which has one of the nation's largest Arab-American populations.

But AJI execs were holding out for a full rollout across all of Comcast's 12.1 million digital subscribers (Comcast has 24 million digital and analog subs), and they believed a deal was imminent.

"We thought we were just awaiting signatures. We feel like we've been led down the garden path. It's a setback for us in the States, but I don't want this to overshadow the fact we've had phenomenal figures in the rest of the world," said one AJI employee who insisted on anonymity.

Sources within AJI speculated the reasons for the pullout had to do with U.S. uncertainty about Al-Jazeera's editorial agenda. Negative portrayals of the situation in Iraq are widely thought to have contributed to the Democratic sweep of the midterm elections.

But Comcast denied the decision had anything to do with politics. "It comes down to a capacity question. We're not adding a lot of new channels," said Comcast spokeswoman Jenni Moyer.

As of last week, Al-Jazeera reportedly also was in talks with Cox Communications, but those won't come to fruition before Wednesday.

Al-Jazeera also had hoped to get carriage on one of the two major satellite TV operators, DirecTV or Dish Network. Dish wants to carry AJI on its Arab-language tier, where it carries the Arabic Al-Jazeera. DirecTV doesn't carry either net, but said it is "keeping options open."

Even without U.S. distribution, Stateside auds will be able to see the channel on broadband.

AJI execs confirmed they will launch with access to 70 million households worldwide, nearly double their initial target of 40 million.

Distribution deals have been inked in most major territories, including the U.K., France, Germany, Italy, Greece, Poland and Australia. AJI execs eventually hope to reach 150 million households worldwide.

AJI's journey to get on the tube has been beset by delays. Originally supposed to launch in spring, its broadcast dates were pushed back to summer, and then fall, as a result of technical difficulties.

The network hired Brit broadcasting legend David Frost, CNN anchor Riz Khan and former "Nightline" correspondent Dave Marash, which generated headlines, but that apparently wasn't enough to assuage wary U.S. operators.

Backroom shuffles also have added to the uncertainty.

In March, Wadah Khanfar, previously managing director of the Arabic-language newscaster, was appointed director general of the entire Al-Jazeera network including AJI, while AJI director of programs Paul Gibb unexpectedly quit in August.

That said, with more than 30 international news bureaus and four AJI global news centers based in Doha, London, Washington and Kuala Lumpur, AJI is attempting to deliver on execs' claims that it is the world's first truly global news channel.

http://www.variety.com/index.asp?layout=print_story&articleid=VR1117953878&categoryid=14

fredfa

11-14-06, 12:59 PM

TV Sports
NBC's SNF Up 6% Over Last Year's ABC's MNF
By John Consoli MediaWeek Nov. 14, 2006

NBC's Sunday Night Football, through the first 10 games, is averaging a household rating of 11.5 up 6 percent over ABC's first 10 games on Monday Night Football (10.9), and also averaging 18 million viewers, 9 percent more than ABC last year (16.5 million), according to Nielsen Media Research data.

The Nov. 12 game in which the Chicago Bears defeated the New York Giants, 38-20, earned a 12.4 national household rating, flat with the comparable week, and averaged 19.4 million viewers, up 5 percent.

Fox's Sunday afternoon national telecast in which the Pittsburgh Steelers defeated the New Orleans Saints earned a 13.6 household rating, up 5 percent over last year's comparable game on Fox (12.9), and drew 21.8 million viewers.

Season-to-date, Fox's national game is average a 13.4 household rating, up 6 percent over last year. CBS' national game this season is averaging a 12.5 household rating.

http://www.mediaweek.com/mw/news/recent_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1003381956

fredfa

11-14-06, 01:18 PM

TV Review
Going where no host has gone before
By Andy Edelstein Newsday Staff Writer November 14, 2006

So what won't William Shatner do? Between his Priceline commercials, spoken-word albums and over-the-top "Boston Legal" character, the man knows he exists in a universe beyond parody.

His latest incarnation: hosting the game show "Show Me the Money," which ABC previews tonight (9:30 PM ET/PT) in a plum spot, following the showdown episode of "Dancing With the Stars." (It moves into the former "Dancing" results show slot Nov. 22).

Undoubtedly desirous of grabbing some of the ratings gold NBC generated with "Deal or No Deal," ABC has ordered up this doozy.

The big difference - besides the blowhard/doofus Shatner vs. "Deal's" vaguely Mephistophelian Howie Mandel - are the females. Instead of the briefcase-wielding, near-robotic beauties of "Deal," we have scroll-wielding, manic "Million Dollar Dancers," 13 gyrating hotties in mini-dresses.

The rules are somewhat convoluted: Contestants must answer a minimum of six trivia questions. After each answer, the contestant chooses one of the dancers, each of whom holds a scroll containing a dollar amount to be added or subtracted depending on whether the answer is correct. One holds a "killer card" that sends the player back to zero.

But who really gives a hoot about the rules? You're watching because you want to see Shatner be Shatner.

"If giving away big money is wrong, then America, I don't want to be right," he sternly informs the audience as the show begins. When the contestant gets the right answer, an exuberant Shatner shouts out, "Let's dance, ladies!" On cue, the dancers begin to shake their booties. And so does Shatner. His dancing makes Elaine Benes seem like Baryshnikov.

The whole thing plays out like a "Saturday Night Live" skit - when that show was actually funny. It's cheesier than a mountain of Velveeta and I mean that as a compliment.

http://www.newsday.com/entertainment/tv/ny-ettvtwo4974365nov14,0,1489226,print.story?coll=ny-television-headlines

fredfa

11-14-06, 01:36 PM

Last week’s complete network average prime-time results (with demographic averages) are now at the bottom of RATINGS NEWS the first post in this thread.

fredfa

11-14-06, 04:57 PM

TV Sports
Gumbel Says He'll Play Nice on NFL Net
By John Consoli Media Week Nov. 14, 2006

NFL Network play-by-play announcer Bryant Gumbel says he is not going to do the game broadcasts beginning Thanksgiving night (Denver Broncos vs. Kansas City) “with handcuffs on” when it comes to what he’ll say in dealing with controversial issues that arise, but he also does not plan “to stir the pot unnecessarily.”

Gumbel created a stir in August when, as host of HBO's Real Sports, he offered an on-air commentary taking the NFL to task on a couple of issues. Gumbel criticized the NFL Players Association for being too cozy with NFL Commissioner Paul Tagliabue, called the NFL team owners greedy billionaires and said the league was more concerned with building a new football stadium to bring a team back to Los Angeles than it was with dealing with the post-Katrina problems facing the New Orleans Saints.

Tagliabue responded publicly by wondering whether Gumbel would be the right person to call the games on the network. But Tagliabue, who stepped down in early September, let his successor Roger Goodell make the call, and Goodell decided to keep Gumbel on board.

“We were hired to do the games,” Gumbel said, referring to himself and analyst Cris Collinsworth. “We are both guys with strong opinions but we are not going to bring in our opinions arbitrarily. We won’t go in with handcuffs on or to make people jump out of their seats.”

Gumbel, who, along with Collinsworth, spoke during an NFL Network telephone conference with the media today, continued, “I hope&hellipnobody will be tuning in to see how many bombs Gumbel and Collinsworth will throw. We are not going to be rable rousers. I would hope our reputations are not that we’re just flamethrowers.”

Collinsworth quickly added, “But if an issue comes up [during the game], we will throw flames. But we’re not going to be talk radio and make up issues.”

Collinsworth added, “I think there is also a danger if we don’t tell it like it really is.”

http://www.mediaweek.com/mw/news/recent_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1003382032

fredfa

11-14-06, 05:01 PM

TV Notebook
'Dancing With the Stars' sambas to hot ratings
With sexy moves, real-life sparks and soaring viewership, ABC’s dance contest has been a prime-time story all to itself
By Maria Elena Fernandez Los Angeles Times Staff Writer November 14, 2006

In a fall season of highfalutin serialized dramas, the most compelling soap opera on television has played out on the "Dancing With the Stars" ballroom floor.

Love — or its lusty cousin — has blossomed between partners Mario Lopez and Karina Smirnoff, partners Willa Ford and Maksim Chmerkovskiy, and an unidentified coupling co-host Samantha Harris will only allude to and giggle about.

Beauty queen Shanna Moakler got into a bar fight with Paris Hilton, of all people. Country singer Sara Evans had to quit because of trouble in her marriage. Daredevil Monique Coleman had a wardrobe malfunction (her bottom went whoops!) that etched itself as a season highlight for the ever-proper British judge Len Goodman. Teen heartthrobs Lopez and Joey Lawrence got verbal spankings for their breaking-all-the-rules ways. Tucker Carlson dazzled with his skillful chair-sitting routine. Jerry Springer — Jerry Springer! — got choked up when he was voted off the competition not because he wanted to stay but because he was overwhelmed by the kindness he had been shown during his seven-week stint.

And if that weren't enough, NFL legend Emmitt Smith can shimmy, shake and even waltz, earning him the nickname "Twinkle Toes." Tonight's finale at 8, which pits him against Lopez, nicknamed "Super Mario" for his flawless, passionate weekly renditions, promises to be the most intense competition this show has seen. The winner is picked by combining the judges' scores with viewers' phoned and e-mailed votes and will be announced Wednesday night.

"It's been so eventful that we haven't been able to keep up with it," executive producer Conrad Green said. "To be honest, we just read Us Weekly every week to find out what's going on on our own production. It's been really quite dramatic. And the best part of it is that this year the outcome is unpredictable."

What Green and ABC prefer to keep up with are the show's soaring ratings. With an average of 20 million viewers, "Dancing With the Stars" is the No. 1 reality series and the fourth most-watched show. In its third season, "Dancing" grew 8% in total viewers and 10% in the desirable 18-to-49-year-old demographic and ranks No. 9 among 18- to 49-year-olds who earn more than $100,000. The live television variety throwback also has grown into one of television's rare family hours, ranking third with children younger than 11 and 17th among teens, and it is a top 10 show among women in all of the key demographics.

"Our audience skews female, so maybe the boys have more of a chance," Green said, referring to last week's semifinal round in which, for the first time, three men — Lopez, Lawrence and Smith — were vying for tonight's finale spots. "They're good-looking, muscly boys with almost no clothes on. They stay in the competition longer."

Lopez, 33, Lawrence, 30, and Smith, 37, have surely delivered the goods. After scoring a three-way tie with the judges, Lawrence was voted off by viewers last week, leaving Lopez and Smith to duke it out. Both men will perform sambas and freestyle routines and, for the first time, a third number: Smith will dance a mambo while Lopez will do a pasodoble.

"It feels like a prizefight," said ABC President of Prime Time Entertainment Steve McPherson. "You have this model against the heavyweight champ in Emmitt Smith and, you know, it's really a neat thing to see." McPherson has personal experience. He learned to cha-cha over eight weeks with Edyta Sliwinska (Lawrence's partner) last spring to perform at the network's annual presentation to advertisers in New York.

"It's really a clash of the titans because each one of them has such strength individually," judge Bruno Tonioli said. "They've given such great performances that it makes our job very, very difficult because it's now going into the realm of whether I prefer blue or green. It doesn't mean green is a better color than blue."

Judge Carrie Ann Inaba agreed that it's all going to come down to individual taste tonight.

"They're very different characters because you've got Mario, who from Day One blew us away," she said. "Nobody expected that level of quality in his dancing. Then Emmitt coming out and not being the typical dancer, not becoming a ballroom dancer necessarily, but tapping into some other sort of natural grace that he's got."

No matter who goes home with the trophy, which host Tom Bergeron half-jokingly describes as "a little mirrored ball on a plastic stand with the show title Scotch-taped on it," the big winner this season seems to be the art of male ballroom dancing itself. Who could ever call this a girlie sport again after watching Smith's commanding yet elegant waltz and Lopez's potent tango?

"In England, a lot of the young boys play soccer and they always thought that dancing was a bit nansy-pansy, but when you boil it all down, you play soccer, you score a goal, and they all kiss each other," said Goodman. "

Proving that tough guys can dance was a priority for the three semifinalists. Lopez, who signed up for the show to please his mother, refused to wear rhinestones and sequins; his hyper-sexual chemistry with Smirnoff took care of the rest. In the beginning, Lawrence found some of the moves — pointing his toe or raising his pinkie — were tough to get right, or feel at ease with.

"You gotta get in touch with a whole different part of you," Lawrence said. "But when you embrace it, it actually feels very masculine to do that because it is very traditional in the sense that the man leads and does take control of the woman."

Three-time Super Bowl winner Smith said it was all about "letting go."

"You have to be comfortable within yourself and understand that for some of the dances, you have to learn different techniques. You have to let loose and let go and be comfortable letting go."

A happily married father of two, Smith joked about the "love fests" that had emerged and said he did not blame the attractive singletons around him. Co-host Harris agreed.

"You put two gorgeous, sexy, passionate people in a room together, locked up for hours a day, body to body, learning these dances," she said, "it's just human nature to fall for each other or have a tryst of some sort. And you know what? Enjoy."

In a way, only the producers are to blame for the love connections. Celebrities do not audition. They are interviewed and selected based on their personalities and the level of dancing skill producers perceive them to have. Complementary personalities are a factor when they match them with the dancing professionals, but more important are the aesthetics

"A lot of it is height; they need to look good together," co-executive producer Izzie Pick said. "You're matching for cohesion and for it to work as a partnership. It's like matchmaking."

Smith is the first to admit he "got real lucky" when he was paired with last year's champion, Cheryl Burke, 22, a top dancer and skillful choreographer.

Smirnoff, 28, is new to the competition this year. Though she and Lopez are reluctant to call themselves a couple, she spends a lot of time cooing "baby" to him off camera, and they are planning to "hibernate" for a week when the show is over "to catch up on sleep."

Springer, whom Bergeron referred to as "the heart and soul of the show," still wishes his partner, Kym Johnson, whom he grew to care for as a daughter, had been assigned a more talented partner.

"I was getting concerned that I was replacing far better dancers," Springer said. "But I was sad to leave because everyone was being incredibly nice to me. In 30 years on television, this is the first time I got to play myself and everyone was so nice. I wish everybody could have a few moments in life like that."

But even if Lopez and Smith do, only one will go home with the disco ball.

"One of the things I hope we never change is that in the context of this show there's something charming to me that all they're doing — all the hours, all of the bunions, all of the heartache, the exhaustion — is for bragging rights and the goofiest-looking trophy you're ever going to see," Bergeron said.

http://www.calendarlive.com/tv/cl-et-dancing14nov14,0,788726,print.story?coll=cl-tv-features

fredfa

11-14-06, 06:16 PM

Last week’s updated top 10 prime-time program ratings are now toward the bottom of RATINGS NEWS -- the first post in this thread.

fredfa

11-14-06, 06:33 PM

Nielsen Notebook
Last Week’s Top Five Shows By Network
Week of November 6-12
(Original episodes only. Ranked by total viewers in millions)
1 DESPERATE HOUSEWIVES ABC 22.27
2 DANCING WITH THE STARS ABC 21.98
4 DANCING W/STARS RESULTS ABC 20.69
5 GREY'S ANATOMY-THU 9PM ABC 20.65
7 DANCING W/STARS-RECAP ABC 18.16
3 CSI CBS 20.83
8 CRIMINAL MINDS CBS 17.57
10 CSI: MIAMI CBS 16.80
11 CSI: NY CBS 16.78
12 60 MINUTES CBS 16.23
6 NBC SUNDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL NBC 19.39
19 DEAL OR NO DEAL-MON NBC 14.67
20 E.R. NBC 14.56
23 HEROES NBC 14.47
26 SUNDAY NIGHT NFL PRE-KICK NBC 13.59
21 FOX NFL SUNDAY-PST GN-NAT FOX 14.54
33 SIMPSONS FOX 11.43
34 OT, THE (NFL OVERRUN) FOX 11.42
45 FAMILY GUY FOX 9.04
47 PRISON BREAK FOX 8.63
49 AMERICAN DAD FOX 8.48
77 AMERICA'S NEXT TOP MODEL CW 5.37
84 SMALLVILLE CW 4.46
88 GILMORE GIRLS CW 4.34
89 FRIDAY NIGHT SMACKDOWN CW 4.33
91 7TH HEAVEN CW 3.62
• Source: Nielsen Media Research data

fredfa

11-14-06, 06:33 PM

Nielsen Notebook
Last Week’s Bottom Five Shows By Network
Week of November 6-12
(Original episodes only. Ranked by total viewers in millions)

61 NINE, THE ABC 7.22
63 20/20-FRI ABC 6.42
64 MEN IN TREES ABC 6.38
73 SAT NIGHT FOOTBALL ABC 5.77
87 SAT NIGHT FTBL PRE-GAME ABC 4.35
37 AMAZING RACE 10 CBS 10.90
41 JERICHO CBS 9.68
51 HOW I MET YOUR MOTHER CBS 8.22
52 48 HOURS MYSTERY CBS 8.13
58 CLASS, THE CBS 7.57
56 STUDIO 60 NBC 7.67
62 BIGGEST LOSER 3 NBC 7.20
66 DATELINE-SAT NBC 6.08
69 FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS 11/7 NBC 5.94
70 FOOTBALL NT AMERICA PT 2 NBC 5.93
85 TIL DEATH FOX 4.43
90 O.C. FOX 3.73
94 O.C. SP-11/8 9P(S) FOX 3.54
96 TRADING SPOUSES FOX 3.51
106 VANISHED FOX 2.88
108 GAME, THE CW 2.86
111 VERONICA MARS CW 2.75
112 ALL OF US CW 2.75
120 AMERICA'S TOP MODEL-ENC CW 2.01
121 SMALLVILLE-11/12(S) CW 1.63

• Source: Nielsen Media Research data

fredfa

11-14-06, 06:40 PM

TV Sports
NFL Network Sues Comcast Over Games
By John M. Higgins Broadcasting & Cable 11/14/2006

In its continuing struggle to secure wide carriage of a controversial – and cable operators say high-priced – package of football games, NFL Network has gone to court to force Comcast to carry the channel on a wider tier.

Industry executives familiar with the suit – filed under seal in New York State last month and only disclosed this week – say it centers narrowly on how Comcast is slating the network on systems it acquired from Adelphia Comunications and Time Warner this summer. But it points more broadly to the NFL quest to recover its massive $2.4 billion investment in NFL Network.

That cost stems from the league’s decision to schedule a package of eight games on its own network rather than collect money by licensing them to another outlet. The league’s best offer came from Comcast-owned network Versus, which offered a six-year deal at $400 million per year plus an equity stake in the channel.

NFL Network wants cable and satellite TV operators to pay a fat 70-90 cents per subscriber and carry the channel on basic cable. Operators that don’t have a deal with the network – notably Time Warner Cable and Cablevision – have balked at such high fees. Some others with older, less expensive deals – notably Comcast and Cox – are carrying the channel on a digital tier that only 20-30% of their customers pay for.

When Comcast bought two million subscribers from Adelphia and Time Warner, the operator applied the terms of its existing NFL Network contract to the new systems and said it would carry the network, but only on a digital tier. The NFL disputes that, contending the old contract doesn’t apply.

" Comcast believes it has the right to carry the NFL Network on a sports tier and will vigorously defend its position," Comcast says in a statement adding that "the NFL is trying to force cable companies to charge many consumers for programming they don’t want."

An NFL spokesman would not comment on the suit, which he says remains under seal.

http://www.broadcastingcable.com/index.asp?layout=articlePrint&articleID=CA6391180

fredfa

11-14-06, 06:57 PM

TV Sports
NFL Clips Comcast in Court
By Ted Hearn MultiChannel News 11/14/2006

Washington -- The National Football League filed suit in New York State Court to block Comcast from distributing NFL Network exclusively on a sport tier reaching a small proportion of the MSO’s 24 million subscribers, the league’s top lawyer said Tuesday.

“Comcast has informed us that they want to put it on the sports tier beginning next year. We want to keep it where it is now. We think the contract we negotiated with Comcast does not give Comcast the right to move the NFL Network to the sports tier,” NFL general counsel Jeffrey Pash said in testimony before the Senate Judiciary Committee.

Comcast is planning a sports-tier launch of NFL Network for 1.7 million customers recently acquired from Adelphia Communications and Time Warner Cable. The vast majority of Comcast customers -- based on a deal with the NFL, reached in August 2004 -- can access NFL Network through a digital tier or a sports tier.

But the NFL went to court in October evidently after learning that Comcast intended only a sports-tier position for the channel on all of its systems.

“It’s a contract dispute involving whether Comcast has a right to tier the NFL Network starting next year,” Pash said. “We think the contract we signed with Comcast doesn’t permit that, and we’ve asked a judge to make a ruling.”

The case had been sealed, restricting Comcast’s ability to discuss legal issue with the media.

“Comcast believes it has the right to carry the NFL Network on a sports tier and will vigorously defend its position,” Comcast executive vice president David Cohen said in a prepared statement.

For the first time, NFL Network will carry eight NFL games this fall, starting Thanksgiving Day and scheduled to air Thursdays and Saturdays. Balking at the NFL’s license fee and channel-placement demands, Time Warner Cable and Cablevision Systems have refused to carry the channel.

At the hearing, Time Warner Cable chief operating officer Landel Hobbs said the channel belonged on a sports tier so that football fans shouldered the costs, not millions of cable customers with little to no interest in the game.

“The programming is too expensive. The value equation is out of whack,” Hobbs said.

http://www.multichannel.com/article/CA6391210.html?display=Breaking+News

fredfa

11-14-06, 07:01 PM

TV Notebook
Fox offers special on O.J.
Net plans 2-night sweeps event
By Josef Adalian Variety Nov. 14, 2006

Fox is planning a two-night O.J. Simpson sweeps event under the provocative title, "O.J. Simpson: If I Did It, Here's How It Happened."

Publisher Judith Regan has taped an interview with the acquitted suspect that will serve as the basis for the two-hour broadcast. Fox said Simpson will explain, "in his own words ... how he would have committed the murders if he were the one responsible for the crimes."

Produced under the auspices of Fox alternative topper Mike Darnell's department, the special will air Monday, Nov. 27 at 9 and Wed., Nov. 29 at 9.

"This is an interview that no one thought would ever happen," Darnell said. "It's the definitive last chapter in the Trial of the Century."

Scheduling of the O.J.-a-thon comes as Fox is struggling through another tough fall quarter, with virtually all of its new skeins either dead or barely clinging to life.

http://www.variety.com/index.asp?layout=print_story&articleid=VR1117953915&categoryid=14

fredfa

11-14-06, 08:46 PM

Ray Richmond echoes my thoughts precisely.
TV Notebook
A Slimefest That Promises To Generate Killer Ratings
By Ray Richmond The Hollywood Reporter in his blog “Past Deadline”
It's so very reassuring to know that Fox hasn't completely lost touch with its "When Animals Attack"/"Temptation Island"/"Who Wants To Marry a Multi-Millionaire?" tabloid sleaze reality roots.

In fact, one might say that the two-part "event" coming to Fox at the end of this month is pretty close to the most unconscionable thing ever conceived on that or any other network. Leave it to the dynamic duo of publisher Judith Regan and Fox reality guru Mike Darnell -- abandoning his recent feel-good penchant for a rousing return to the cesspool -- to center an interview fiasco on O.J. Simpson's sudden non-confession confession in the interest of generating great big huge buckeroos during sweepstime.

Blood money? Ya think?

Here's the press release, then I'll comment further:

JUDITH REGAN’S EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW WITH O.J. SIMPSON
“O.J. SIMPSON: IF I DID IT, HERE’S HOW IT HAPPENED”
TO AIR AS A TWO-PART SPECIAL ON FOX
Special to Air Over Two Nights:
Monday, November 27, and Wednesday, November 29
Over 10 years after he was tried for two murders in the “Trial of the Century” that captured the attention of the world, O.J. Simpson, in his own words, tells for the first time how he would have committed the murders if he were the one responsible for the crimes. Noted publisher Judith Regan will talk with Simpson in a wide-ranging, no-holds-barred interview that will be the basis of a two-part special, O.J. SIMPSON: IF I DID IT, HERE’S HOW IT HAPPENED (working title), airing Monday, Nov. 27 (9:00-10:00 PM ET/PT) and Wednesday, Nov. 29 (9:00-10:00 PM ET/PT) on FOX.
The Simpson criminal and civil trials captivated people around the world for a decade, and now no topics are off-limits – Simpson has agreed to an unrestricted interview with Regan. In the two-part event, Simpson describes how he would have carried out the murders he has vehemently denied committing for over a decade.
"This is an interview that no one thought would ever happen. It’s the definitive last chapter in the Trial of the Century," said Mike Darnell, Executive Vice President of Alternative Programming.
Although acquitted of murdering Nicole Brown Simpson and Ron Goldman, Simpson was later sued in civil court, found responsible for both murders and ordered to pay $33.5 million in restitution to the families of the victims. A decade later, Simpson has written a book that hypothetically describes how the murders would have been committed. “If I Did It” will go on sale Thursday, Nov. 30, under the REGAN imprint.

I mean, the title alone is actually astonishing in its brazen, callous, utterly clueless disregard for the sensitivities of the survivors and the law of the land. Were I Fox and Regan, the first thing I'd have done would be to at least remove the word "If" from both the cover of the book and the title of the interview.

It seems pretty unnecessary now even to couch it. So why not just call it, "I Did It, and I Think We All Know How." Or maybe this: "O.J. and Fox: Dancing In the Graveyard." I only wish O.J.'s lead attorney Johnnie Cochran had lived to see this, smug defender of his client's racially-charged acquittal that he was.

I don't totally get this, though. What does "If I Did It" even mean? He's going to retrace the steps of the "killer" as if it had been he, imagining what it would have been like and felt like to savagely murder the mother of his children and her friend in cold blood?

Try to consider that part alone: Simpson's now-grown kids, seeing this book hit the bestseller lists and a primetime special dragged before the country for them to endure/relive -- with their father gleefully and shamelessly continuing to whore out their mother's memory and whatever's left of his reputation.

How completely horrible for them.

It's like you feel the need to take a long, hot shower even blogging about this. Time to crawl back out of the sewer and clean up.

http://www.pastdeadline.com/

DoubleDAZ

11-14-06, 09:05 PM

Just how low will we sink for ratings? Yuck!!!

cocoon

11-14-06, 09:32 PM

I really don't see the difference between this and a show where the hero is a serial killer (Dexter). Hell even those "documentaries" with serial killers and so forth its all the same to me. The only difference is that Dexter is heavily polished to make people have some sort of affection for him (including myself).

I have no intention of watching this however... people love this sort of thing and until the public gets tired of it they will continue to run these types of programs.

dad1153

11-14-06, 09:47 PM

Nielsen Notebook
Last Week’s Bottom Five Shows By Network
Week of November 6-12
(Original episodes only. Ranked by total viewers in millions)

56 STUDIO 60 NBC 7.67
62 BIGGEST LOSER 3 NBC 7.20
66 DATELINE-SAT NBC 6.08
69 FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS 11/7(S) NBC 5.94
70 FOOTBALL NT AMERICA PT 2 NBC 5.93

• Source: Nielsen Media Research data

And somehow, despite those atrocious numbers, 'FNL' and 'Studio 60' scored season-long committments. It's like the early 1980's all over when NBC stuck with 'Cheers' and 'Hill Street Blues' because of the critical acclaim (and hopefully forthcoming Emmy nominations) despite low viewership. Or maybe NBC figured they had such an avalanche of bad publicity from Zucker's 'NBC 2.0' initiative to lower costs at the 8PM hour that they might as well renew 'Studio 60' and 'FNL' to buy themselves some much needed good publicity. Either Reilly is the second coming of Brandon Tartikoff or he's already turned into a pumpkin and nobody knows it yet.

RussTC3

11-14-06, 10:23 PM

One word best describes this whole Simpson thing on Fox: Pitiful.

And somehow, despite those atrocious numbers, 'FNL' and 'Studio 60' scored season-long committments. It's like the early 1980's all over when NBC stuck with 'Cheers' and 'Hill Street Blues' because of the critical acclaim (and hopefully forthcoming Emmy nominations) despite low viewership. Or maybe NBC figured they had such an avalanche of bad publicity from Zucker's 'NBC 2.0' initiative to lower costs at the 8PM hour that they might as well renew 'Studio 60' and 'FNL' to buy themselves some much needed good publicity. Either Reilly is the second coming of Brandon Tartikoff or he's already turned into a pumpkin and nobody knows it yet.
I rather like the idea of committing to low rated shows. Firstly, it tells the audience: "Keep watching, the full season's story will be told", secondly the audience that is watching will continue to watch and be more receptive to next years crop of new shows thinking that the network will stick with their show for as long as they can.

The biggest complaint you hear these days from tv viewers is something along the lines of "Why should I watch tv? They cancel all the good stuff."

This will help the network down the line.

fredfa

11-14-06, 10:56 PM

I agree that it is great that NBC is trying to keep "Studio 60" and "Friday Night Lights".

But "Dateline" with its continual catch-a-predator theme seems like something far less than top-notch TV.

And as I have noted in the past, NBC might ass well keep critically-acclaimed but mloow-rated shows on -- it will have to replace its four-hour Sunday block in a few weeks and doesn't have much left in the cupboard.

But given time, audiences often will find quality shows: in the distant past "Hill Street Blues", "Cheers", "Seinfeld" and "St. Elsewhere" on NBC all started off very slowly.

CBS showed remarkable patience with many of its staples and kept running them out every week, repeated them in the summer, and eventually "Without A Trace", "Cold Case" and even the CSIs caught on.

I am not really so hopeful about the eventual fate of "FNL" -- but I love it and will be happy to see every episode NBC trots out.

DoubleDAZ

11-14-06, 10:56 PM

While it could backfire on them and we all know their reasoning is not altruistic, who's to know what kind a following shows will garner midway through a season. There are a lot of good shows on these days and there is only so much time to view them. I long for the days when primetime ran pretty straight for fall/winter/early spring and then reruns ran pretty straight for later spring/summer. I could count on catching some programs during rerun season, but that rarely happens anymore. Even if the program is rerun, not all episodes are always rerun. Then too, I don't recall them totally giving up on December or Saturday in the old days. Today's 22 episode season is so convoluted, it's a wonder anyone bothers trying to follow any series.

fredfa

11-14-06, 10:59 PM

TV Notebook
Al Jazeera, wide angle
The Arab network's English-language project is set to launch today, promising high-tech 24-hour coverage. But who will watch?
By Johanna Neuman Los Angeles Times Staff Writer November 15, 2006

WASHINGTON — Al Jazeera, praised for confronting the Middle East's oft-coddled ruling regimes and criticized for bringing viewers regular updates from Osama bin Laden's cave, says it is launching its new English-language international network (Wednes)day.

A lot of people don't believe it.

"This is getting a little boring," said one droll industry insider who asked not to be named. "Call me back when they actually get on the air."

But after more than a year of delays, a reported $1-billion price tag and lingering questions about whether any U.S. station will carry its programming, Al Jazeera says it is, honest, ready for prime time.

"We are really, really launching," said Will Stebbins, a Boston native and former Associated Press Television News journalist who is Al Jazeera International's Washington bureau chief. "It's going to be a very dramatic launch. We're going to be live from some interesting locations."

AJI promises to outshine its competitors — such as CNN International and BBC World Service — with a mix of high-definition bells and whistles and an unusual 24-hour news rotation — four hours anchored from Washington, four from London, four from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, and 12 from company headquarters in Doha, Qatar. In fact, one of the glitches that slowed the opening-day broadcast date is that AJI has gone digital, doing away with all tape and video, giving journalists desktop access to everything.

"There's been a learning curve with the new technology," said Stebbins. "It's a paradigm shift."

A paradigm shift would suggest a new technology, one so glorious to watch that viewers will soon abandon commercial television. An irony, to say the least, if AJI paves the way for a rejuvenated CBS or NBC.

"This is unprecedented; it's the most complex project of its kind ever attempted," said British journalist Nigel Parsons, AJI's managing director. "With our high-tech backbone, involving all new software, firmly linked by fiber, we'll be able to move pictures around the world."

'In a league of our own'

To lure viewers as well as space-crunched satellite providers, AJI will also air the same programming at the same time — real-time television, really — to viewers in Europe, the Middle East and the Americas.

"We will cover Asia from within Asia, the Middle East from within the Middle East, Europe from within Europe and the Americas from within the Americas," said Stebbins, who captains a small army of 140 at a new high-tech studio on K Street in Washington. "There has been nothing like it before, so we believe we will be in a league of our own. It will be nothing short of a reversal of the global flow of information."

For now, technology experts seem underwhelmed. "A fiber link. Good for them," said Phil Swann, president of TVPredict-ions.com, a website that tracks the television industry. "They can load up their studio with every bell and whistle they want, but that doesn't mean it ever gets in front of an audience. The very name Al Jazeera is a bigger obstacle than most cable networks have at launch."

The new network is not expected to make a huge splash today on U.S. television sets — though AJI may attract some U.S. viewers via broadband streaming on the Internet, and a French satellite company, Globecast, is offering to deliver the broadcasts to the U.S. audience. Insiders said negotiations between AJI and Comcast Communications collapsed Tuesday, all but dooming efforts to launch on most television screens in the U.S.

But network executives noted that the novelty, the drama, the passion of the thing is not necessarily to beam inward toward the United States but outward from Washington to English-speaking viewers through 40 million television sets around the world — particularly in Western Europe, Asia, Latin America and Africa. And media analysts seem to agree.

"It's not about us," said Jon Alterman, who watches public diplomacy and the international media from his think tank perch at the Center for Strategic and International Studies. "But in a lot of the world that speaks English, Al Jazeera International will be a decentered take on how the world works. There's a global media ecology out there which the United States has decreasing dominance over."

American journalists recruited to join AJI are convinced that the English-language network will move beyond its Arabic roots, that it will be a quality program dedicated to in-depth journalism — and that it will find an audience.

"We want to win the high end, to give the most sophisticated, more nuanced and most global view of the day's events," said David Marash, a former correspondent for ABC's "Nightline" who became the first high-level American reporter to sign up in January, prompting Media-Bistro.com to dub him "Al Jazeera's Jewish anchor."

Marash does not flinch from the affiliation, or the irony. "I'm not shamed or troubled by being a Jew working for a company I believe spreads values across the Middle East that lead to peace and understanding," he told the website.

Heavy focus on reporting

Shibley Telhami, a Mideast specialist at the Brookings Institution who was born into an Arab family in Israel, helped Al Jazeera with pilots for the show. He said the network's market research showed "an international market in the English-speaking world that would be more from the perspective of the Arab world, in places like India and Pakistan."

Created a decade ago with a $150-million grant from the emir of Qatar, Al Jazeera (in Arabic) is now the top-rated station in the Middle East, with more foreign correspondents in world capitals than all the U.S. networks combined. In an era when U.S. news budgets and ratings are shrinking, the emir is betting that a credible international presence will help change the network's image as it rolls out a high-definition, multi-desk face of news. In the process, he hopes to turn Doha, the capital of a small emirate of about 863,000 people living in a Persian Gulf country roughly the size of Connecticut and Rhode Island combined, into an international news center to rival London, Moscow and Washington.

With deep pockets and a hunger to find global acceptance, AJI could also win an audience with the depth of its reporting.

"What we increasingly lack in television — and the online world lacks it too — is reporting," said Ken Auletta, the New Yorker writer who often critiques the media. "Cable is all live shots. We have a premium on opinion. So if they do that perspective, that is potentially great."

To prepare for the launch, Al Jazeera has been making the rounds in Washington, hoping to reassure top Bush administration officials that, despite its reputation for anti-American and anti-Israeli rhetoric, the new network will adopt Edward R. Murrow's standard of truthful and in-the-moment reporting.

"We're not abandoning the spirit of Al Jazeera journalism; we're taking it to a higher audience," Parsons said in a May interview. "We want to be a market leader, and that applies to technology, content and journalism."

So far, American officials are undaunted by the prospect of a more high-profile Al Jazeera's beachhead into world public opinion from Washington.

"It's a big ambition," said Pentagon spokesman Bryan Whitman, who met with network officials several times last spring. "Time will tell."

A State Department official who did not want to be quoted by name said the Bush administration is of two minds about the new AJI. "Al Jazeera has an audience we need to talk to and an editorial stance that makes it hard to do that effectively," he said. "The English Al Jazeera has the opposite problem: It might be more objective, but at this point it has no audience."

http://www.calendarlive.com/tv/cl-et-jazeera15nov15,0,3466516,print.story?coll=cl-tvent

fredfa

11-14-06, 11:02 PM

Washington Notebook
NFL defends TV policies before Senate
By Brooks Boliek The Hollywood Reporter Nov 15, 2006

WASHINGTON -- The NFL played defense on Tuesday before a Senate committee investigating the nation's premier sports league's television policies.

At issue are several deals the NFL has made or is attempting to make that either grant exclusivity to one carrier or another or dictate the tier on which cable operators can place pro football programming.

NFL executive vp Jeffrey Pash told the Senate Judiciary Committee that the league's primary desire is to get its games on more viewers' TV sets by keeping a majority of its games on broadcast TV.

"The centerpiece of the NFL's television policy is free, over-the-air broadcasting of NFL games," Pash told the committee. "The best way to do so has been and continues to be through broadcast television."

Sen. Arlen Specter, R-Penn., is concerned that new TV packages such as the one on the NFL Network and the league's Thursday-Saturday package of games will drive up cable prices. He also expressed concern over the NFL's decision to limit its Sunday Ticket package to satellite TV.

Specter accused the NFL of anti-competitive practices because it refused a to take a bid from Comcast for the right to carry the programming. Comcast is headquartered in Philadelphia.

"Why is Sunday Ticket not available by competitive bidding?" Specter asked. "I'm told the NFL told Comcast it wouldn't take a bid from them."

Specter compared America's love for sports programing to an addict's love for a drug.

"No doubt America has a love affair with professional sports," he said. "It could be called an addiction."

Pash told the lawmaker that the NFL did not want to force viewers to go cold turkey but that the league refused to allow cable companies to get the package because cable operators refused to agree to allow local broadcasters to air the games at the same time.

"The primary means of the telecast is free, over-the-air broadcasting," he said. "We do not want to have Sunday Ticket undermine that."

The NFL and Comcast are involved in a lawsuit over Comcast's desire to put the NFL Network on its little-watched sports tier. The NFL contends that that move would violate its current contract with Comcast.

Specter believes that by fighting to keep the NFL Network and other pro football programming on the most-watched cable tiers, the league is driving up the cost of those tiers for customers who don't care about football.

"They have to pay the fare whether or not they want the coverage," he said.

It's a notion disputed by Pash.

"I don't think the NFL Network and an increase in prices go hand in hand," he said, adding that DirecTV, EchoStar, Cox Cable and Comcast didn't increase their fees when they picked up the channel.

While a Comcast executive did not testify Tuesday, Time Warner Cable chief operating officer Landel Hobbs did. Time Warner Cable also has fought with the NFL over the placement of the NFL Network.

"Cable companies are often saddled with obligations not borne by satellite operators," Hobbs said. "Not only should additional or new obligations be avoided, but policymakers should fully examine whether this disparate regulatory treatment is warranted and how it contributes to any problems in the sports and video marketplaces."

The exclusive contract with satellite TV operators DirecTV and EchoStar has been a sore point with the cable industry for years. While a cable operator must provide satellite TV companies with programming generated by itself or a subsidiary under the nation's program-access law, the reverse is not true. The program-access law is largely considered one of the main reasons the satellite TV industry exists.

"(Sunday Ticket) had the clear effect of enhancing satellite as a competitor to cable," Pash testified. "Consumers who previously only had access to a single cable option now have a robust alternative in satellite, with unique and attractive programming such as NFL Sunday Ticket."

Specter said he plans to keep the pressure on. Even when the GOP goes into the minority next year, there appears to be sentiment among Democrats that the NFL bears watching.

Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., and Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., expressed concerns over perceived highhandedness by the league.

Feinstein was particularly upset over talk that the San Francisco 49ers might move out of the city south to Santa Clara. Feinstein said she was considering legislation that would allow a city some say in whether the name of the city could move to a another jurisdiction.

"You can't move to Santa Clara and be a 49er. You're not," she said. "You can't move to Santa Clara and say you're a San Franciscan. You're not."

Leahy said he planned to talk with the two senators about how to proceed with the issue next year.

"As we move into the 110th Congress, I will consult with the senator from Pennsylvania, the senator from California and the other interested members on our agenda," Leahy said.

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/content_display/news/e3imMSgN%2BCyz0PrUDrc20eshg%3D%3D

fredfa

11-14-06, 11:05 PM

The Business of TV
3 cablers still not game for NFL net
By Paul J. Gough The Hollywood Reporter Nov 15, 2006

The NFL Network will kick off its primetime late-season package on Thanksgiving night, but it's not likely to have deals in place with three big cable systems nationwide.

The NFL Network is available in about 40 million homes, a remarkable number considering it's only three years old. That includes deals with Comcast, DirecTV, Dish Network and about 160 other cable companies. But it doesn't include Time Warner Cable, Cablevision or Charter.

And an NFL Network executive said during a conference call Tuesday that it probably wasn't going to change at least before Thanksgiving night's game between the Kansas City Chiefs and Denver Broncos.

But NFL Network chief Steve Bornstein said he hoped that it would.

"I would tell you that I don't see that happening before the games, but I try to remain optimistic," he said. "Our dialogues are open with (Cablevision and Time Warner), but right now we're not getting a lot of traction."

For football fans in Los Angeles, New York and other markets nationwide, that means they won't be able to see the primetime Thursday-Saturday games that will be carried on the NFL Network over the next five weeks.

The Kansas City market, where Time Warner rules, won't get the NFL Network, but Thanksgiving's game and another one just before Christmas against the Oakland Raiders will be carried locally on broadcast TV.

Time Warner Cable has said it would like to carry the NFL Network but wants to put it on a sports tier so that it won't increase the rates for all of its customers.

Cablevision said it will continue to carry New York Jets and Giants games plus about 50 regular-season games involving other teams, almost all of them in high-definition.

"We would like to find a way to carry more out-of-market games as we have with baseball, basketball and hockey and not just the seven games offered by the NFL Network," Cablevision said in a statement Tuesday.

Bornstein said he believes the NFL Network is more of a value than just the eight games offered. He said it wasn't just a six-month network but is of value throughout the year.

Bryant Gumbel and Cris Collinsworth will call the first NFL Network game and most of the other ones; it will be Gumbel's first NFL appearance since 1981 as a studio host and since the 1970s as a play-by-play football announcer. Gumbel and Collinsworth called a practice game in August, and Gumbel called another test more recently in New York. Gumbel and others said they were confident that it would be a great broadcast.

"We've got a long way to get to that point," Gumbel said. "It's going to be a first effort (on Thanksgiving), and it's not going to be without its bumps and bruises."

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/content_display/television/news/e3imMSgN%2BCyz0Oa54VkgvBXXg%3D%3D

fredfa

11-14-06, 11:55 PM

Critic’s Notebook
'Day Break' comes late to the serialized thriller party
From Maureen Ryan’s Chicago Tribune blog “The Watcher” Nov. 14, 2006

You have to feel a little sorry for the thriller “Day Break,” which premieres 8 p.m. Wednesday on WLS-Ch. 7.

The new Taye Diggs show, about a man who relives the same bad day of his life over and over, is late to the serialized-TV party that broke out on the small screen this fall. You kind of hate to break it to “Day Break” that the crime-serial bash didn’t go so well.

“Kidnapped,” “Smith” and “Runaway” are all toast, and “The Nine” and “Vanished” are just about hanging onto their time slots (in the case of “Vanished,” it’s been banished to Fridays). The only serialized shows to have connected with viewers this fall are “Jericho” and “Heroes,” which aren’t dominated by crime elements or on-the-lam themes.

Still, it’s good to know at the outset that “Day Break” is a 13-part series. Of course, if it breaks ratings records during its stint as a fill-in for “Lost,” which is on a three-month break, ABC will no doubt bring “Day Break” back in some fashion. In any case, if viewers do commit to this show - not a given, given the speed with which “Smith” and “Kidnapped” were yanked - at least they’ll know upfront that this is a short-term relationship.

It may not be blessed with the most felicitous dialogue of all time, but “Day Break” is a solidly constructed and fast-paced drama, in which Diggs’ character, L.A. detective Brett Hopper, wakes up to a pretty normal day that goes south fast. He barely gets a chance to gulp down some coffee before he’s accused of murdering an assistant district attorney, and it quickly becomes clear to him that he’s being framed by unknown plotters.

With his usual attractive menace, Adam Baldwin plays an antagonistic fellow cop, who happens to be the ex of Hopper’s girlfriend, and Mitch Pileggi, another stalwart of the guest-star world, is half of an investigative team assigned to Hopper’s case.

The series’ gimmick kicks in when, before the first half hour of 2-hour premiere is over, Hopper wakes up in his girlfriend’s bed again and the same day begins unfolding once more.

If you’re worried that each day is a carbon copy of the last, don’t fret about that: Hopper’s experiences vary each time he goes through the same day, partly because he takes different courses of action in an effort to unravel the conspiracy against him.

Of course, explaining all of this “Groundhog Day” stuff to his girlfriend is not easy for Hopper.

“Yesterday … is today,” he fumbles.

She’s understandably dubious.

The series may test viewers’ patience by withholding who Hopper’s framers are and what their motivations could be:
• Why frame this guy?
• Wouldn’t it just be easier to take out the A.D.A. some other way?
• And why is it necessary for a team of goons to follow Hopper and record his actions on film?

And Hopper’s various entanglements - his partner’s being investigated by internal affairs, and he’s trying to keep a jumpy witness safe before a trial - can become confusing, especially when the plot button hits reset and new and different elements are added to these stories.

The bottom line is, “Day Break” will require those who watch it to pay close attention. Whether the public will be willing to do so is an open question. Many viewers feel burned by networks that have pulled new series, including serials millions of viewers were committed to, with alarming speed.

Still, if one wants to take a chance on a serial, “Day Break” offers an intriguing concept, an attractive leading man and a reasonably enjoyable thriller. It’s not “Lost,” and it’s certainly no “24” - its closest dramatic cousin - but it might tide viewers over until those series return.

http://tempo.typepad.com/entertainment_tv/

fredfa

11-15-06, 12:12 AM

Critic’s Notebook
O.J. to tell how he'd murder on Fox spec
Net plans 2-night sweeps event
By Josef Adalian Variety.com Nov. 15, 2006

Fox is planning a two-night sweeps event whose title says it all: "O.J. Simpson: If I Did It, Here's How It Happened."

No, really.

Publisher Judith Regan has taped a wide-ranging interview with Simpson that will serve as the basis for the broadcast, set to air in two hourlong segs Nov. 27 and 29, at 9 p.m. both nights. In the interview, Fox said Simpson "describes how he would have carried out the murders he has vehemently denied committing for over a decade."

Simpson was acquitted of killing Nicole Brown Simpson and Ron Goldman, but found liable for both murders in a later civil suit.

Regan is publishing the Simpson-penned "If I Did It," which goes on sale Nov. 30 -- the day after the special's conclusion airs. ReganBooks is based at Harper Collins, which is owned by Fox parent News Corp.

Fox's O.J. special is being produced under the auspices of alternative topper Mike Darnell's department.

"This is an interview that no one thought would ever happen," Darnell said. "It's the definitive last chapter in the 'Trial of the Century.' "

This isn't Simpson's first foray into primetime. Katie Couric interviewed Simpson for NBC News in 2004, 10 years after the murders took place.

Fox declined to comment further on the special, and a Regan spokeswoman said the publisher was traveling and unavailable for an interview.

Insiders, however, indicate Fox isn't directly paying Simpson for his interview. However, it's safe to assume he's getting paid for his book.

If Simpson is making any money off the book, Ron Goldman's father, Fred, will likely try to get that coin in order to help pay off the debt Simpson owes him after losing the civil case.

Earlier this month, a Santa Monica court rejected Goldman's attempt to gain control of Simpson's publicity and identity rights.

A Fox rep also declined to name the production company behind the special.

Fox special marks the return of Darnell, Fox's own bad boy of entertainment. He has focused on more feel-good fare in recent years, from "Nanny 911" and "Celebrity Duets" to, of course, "American Idol."

The O.J. special comes as Fox is struggling through another tough fall quarter. It's also one of the few true sweeps "events" this November. Nets have largely abandoned movies and specials in favor of series programming this sweeps.

Immediate industry reaction to news of the O.J. special was disbelief, followed by debate over how well the event will do in the ratings.

"It'll be huge," one rival predicted. One producer said that while competitors might publicly dismiss Fox's decision to air the special, "They'd all love to have it."

Others, however, questioned whether Fox would be able to generate much interest from advertisers, since many might shy away from being associated with such a controversial broadcast.

http://www.variety.com/index.asp?layout=print_story&articleid=VR1117953915&categoryid=14

dad1153

11-15-06, 12:13 AM

...I don't recall them totally giving up on December or Saturday in the old days.

Weren't CBS' critically acclaimed shows 'All In the Family' and 'Mary Tyler Moore' Saturday night staples and considered the must-see TV shows during the 1970's? I wasn't here until 1989 (originally from El Salvador) so I only have faint recollections of reading this for a library assignment for my media courses in college. What else was on network TV during Saturdays back in decades past that could be considered big hits today?

SidsDad

11-15-06, 12:19 AM

Hey Fredfa, Your work here is impecable! I am wondering if you could tell me where I could find a ranking of shows broken down by network in order from top rated threw bottom rated? As an example; what are the CWs top rated shows overall from 1 -20? Thanks for your insight & keep up the great work!!

Dad, I believe Fantasy Island was on saturday nights also, wether it was considered a hit I am Not sure?

fredfa

11-15-06, 12:21 AM

Yes, dad1153, CBS had a lineup on Saturday in the fall of 1973 which included (in order) All In The Family, M*A*S*H, The Bob Newhart Show, Mary Tyler Moore and Carol Burnett.

That season, All In the Family finished #1 in the ratings, M*A*S*H was # 4, Mary Tyler Moore was tied for 9th, Bob Newhart was 12th and Carol Burnett was 27th.

fredfa

11-15-06, 12:25 AM

Other highly rated shows of the 60s and 70s on Saturday nights included: Jackie Gleason, Andy Williams, Lawrence Welk, Mission Impossible, Mannix, Gunsmoke, The Hollywood Palace, Perry Mason, The Defenders, My Three Sons, Hogan's Heroes, Get Smart, Adam 12, Emergency, The Jeffersons, Love Boat and Fantasy Island.

Earlier -- in the 50s -- Perry Como, Your Show of Shows (Sid Caesar), George Gobel, Dick Clark and in 1953 and 1954 on Dumont, Pro Football all were scheduled on Saturday nights.

fredfa

11-15-06, 12:32 AM

SidsDad:
(Thanks for the very kind words!)

Fantasy Island was on ABC on Saturday Nights from January of 1978 through August of 1984 and it was a solid -- if not long-running -- hit for the network.

It was on from 9-10 PM ET from August of 1979 through October of 1979.

All the rest of the time it was a 10 PM show. In its early years it did some really decent ratings:

1979-80 #27
1980-81 #17
1981-82 #30

Source: "The Complete Directory to Prime Time Newtork and Cable TV Shows 1946-Present" By Tim Brooks and Earle Marsh

(Give me a few minutes to assemble the CW numbers for last week.)

fredfa

11-15-06, 12:39 AM

SidsDad:

There were only 14 CW shows on last week, so I can’t give you a 1-20 ranking.

But here, ranked (against all network shows) by total viewers (in millions) are the numbers for the CW shows for the week of Nov. 6-12.

77 AMERICA'S NEXT TOP MODEL CW 5.37
84 SMALLVILLE CW 4.46
88 GILMORE GIRLS CW 4.34
89 FRIDAY NIGHT SMACKDOWN CW 4.33
91 7TH HEAVEN CW 3.62
93 ONE TREE HILL CW 3.56
100 SUPERNATURAL CW 3.19
101 EVERYBODY HATES CHRIS CW 3.18
105 GIRLFRIENDS CW 2.92
108 GAME, THE CW 2.86
111 VERONICA MARS CW 2.75
112 ALL OF US CW 2.75
120 AMERICA'S TOP MODEL-ENC CW 2.01
121 SMALLVILLE-11/12(S) CW 1.63

• Source: Nielsen Media Research data

fredfa

11-15-06, 01:00 AM

Taking the ratings a bit farther, (and to show how much things have changed over the years) the top rated show last week was "Grey's Anatomy" with a 15.1 rating (that is 15.1% of all households watched the show either live or on DVD within 24 hours).

Back in the 1966-67 season, the top-rated show was "Bonanza", with a 29.1 rating. Even the four show tied for # 29 ("I Spy", "CBS Thursday Movie", "My Three Sons" and "The F.B.I") all had ratings of 20.2.

Of course that was back in the days of three networks, when there were no cable nets, no internet, and few viable independent stations except in the very largest of markets.

As recently as 10 years ago, in the 1996-97 season, the top-rated show ("ER") averaged a 21.2 rating. And all of the top 30 shows had a 10.5 rating or better. Last week just 12 shows got a rating of 10.5 or more.

Advertisers today desperately seek the 18-49 viewer. Especially the younger half of the demo. And they feel those viewers simply aren't available on Saturday nights.

So they don't want to spend mega dollars advertising to a non-existent audience. Thus the networks are forced to spend less for programming. It has become and chicken-and-egg type of situation.

dad1153

11-15-06, 01:54 AM

Thanks fredfa. You remind me of a teacher I had in college that could pull ratings statistics, market share profiles and every piece of useless TV knowledge from the anals of his memory at the drop of a hat. A real character whom most of my classmates found unbearable but I looked forward to listen to! :rolleyes:

Now back to scanning eBay for an affordable PS3 or a captive flying pig (whichever I spot first). :(

fredfa

11-15-06, 02:11 AM

TV Review
“Day Break”
When Life Takes an Ugly Turn, a Chance to Do It Over
By Alessandra Stanley The New York Times Nov. 15, 2006

Choosing a new television drama is a little like encountering foreign tourists in distress. A few are compelling enough to make you stop and pay attention. Others are in difficulties that seem so convoluted and time-consuming that it’s easier to shrug and walk away.

“Day Break,” a series that begins tonight on ABC, could easily fall into the latter category: Brett Hopper (Taye Diggs), a police detective framed for murder in a shadowy conspiracy, keeps waking up to relive the same nightmarish day. It’s a film noir version of the Bill Murray comedy “Groundhog Day.”

But “Day Break” has enough suspense and clever turns to tempt viewers to stay and see how the next day breaks. Hopper rises every morning aware of what happened on the last, and still covered with the bruises and wounds he acquired along the way. He starts the day over, determined to correct his previous missteps and get to the bottom of the mystery, but quickly discovers that each new action begets a potentially dangerous reaction.

The conceit is intriguing — a surreal version of “24” — but the suspension of disbelief it requires has to do with more than just time. Viewers also have to suspend their disbelief in network integrity: too many series, including CBS’s “Smith” and NBC’s “Kidnapped,” have been canceled as soon as ratings faltered, depriving loyal fans of a satisfying denouement.

There are many serialized dramas at the moment, and they all require the kind of commitment and attention that is hard to summon once a week, every week. Like “24” on Fox and “Lost” on ABC, “Day Break” could be more easily consumed in batches on DVD, without commercial interruption or weeklong pauses in between each new, slightly altered, break of day.

In the pilot Hopper wakes up next to his girlfriend, Rita Shelten (Moon Bloodgood). While stopping for coffee on his way home, Hopper pulls a woman out of reach of a crashing bus. No good deed goes unpunished: soon afterward, the police come crashing through his apartment door. Hopper is arrested for the murder of Alberto Garza, an assistant district attorney. When he insists that Rita can back up his alibi, nobody believes him. Rita vanishes, and neither the police nor Hopper’s lawyer can find her.

As Hopper struggles to figure out who is framing him and why, all kinds of people get in his way, including his former partner, Chad Shelten (Adam Baldwin), who also happens to be Rita’s ex-husband. Rita is not the only loved one who is in danger: Hopper also has to protect his sister, his niece and his partner, Andrea (Victoria Pratt), as well as an informant, Damien (Ramon Rodriguez), who is a witness in a major organized crime case and hiding in a safe house.

Hopper alters his routine the next day to avert arrest, skipping his morning coffee stop. But the same woman turns up at the emergency room, crushed by the bus. And with each new sidestep, Hopper inadvertently puts the people closer to him at grave risk.

“Just remember,” warns one of the villains trying to force Hopper to confess, “for every decision there is a consequence.”

The pilot episode could serve as a metaphor for the plight of young African-American men caught up in the criminal justice system. Pulled in by the police, Hopper cannot catch a break: the homicide detectives scoff at every explanation he gives and refuse to listen to reason.

“I’m a cop with a clean record and an alibi,” Hopper cries out. “How is this happening?”

But the series also could be seen as a metaphor for the predicament of network executives, condemned to remaking the same kind of show season after season. Producers are asked to find an alternative to hit series and keep trying to rework details and shift characters in a desperate effort to secure a hit.

“I’m a producer with a clean résumé and a contract,” they cry. “How is this happening?”

ABC’s latest effort has a strong cast and a clever premise, but that alone may not be enough to guarantee that “Day Break” will live to see its final dawn.

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/11/15/arts/television/15stanley.html?ref=television&pagewanted=print

fredfa

11-15-06, 02:15 AM

The TV Column
A Fox Shocker:
In Depth With O.J. Simpson for A Ratings Boost
By Lisa de Moraes The Washington Post Wednesday, November 15, 2006

Fox will slaughter the competition the final week of the November ratings sweeps when it airs a two-hour interview in which O.J. Simpson details how he would have murdered his wife, Nicole, and Ronald Goldman more than 10 years ago.

Had he done it.

Which he didn't.

Just ask him.

He is, in fact, looking high and low for her killer as we write.

"O.J. Simpson: If I Did It, Here's How It Happened" will be broadcast over two nights, Monday, Nov. 27, and Wednesday, Nov. 29. Fox airs "House" on Tuesdays and nobody messes with House. Not even O.J.

"If I Did It" is also the title of the former pro football player's new book that, Fox said yesterday, hits bookstores Nov. 30 -- just in time for the holiday gift-buying season, ho, ho, ho. And who wouldn't love to find a copy of O.J.'s sordid sort-of hypothetical confession in his Christmas stocking on the morning of the day in which we celebrate the birth of baby Jesus?

And, in one of those incredible coincidences that make covering the TV industry so fulfilling, the book is being published under the Regan imprint, headed by Judith Regan, who will conduct the interview with O.J. on Fox. And her publishing outfit, ReganBooks, is a division of HarperCollins, which is owned by News Corp. -- which also owns Fox!

Fox didn't divulge details of the interview other than to say it was "wide-ranging," "no holds barred" and "unrestricted" and that "Simpson describes how he would have carried out the murders he has vehemently denied committing for over a decade." He was acquitted in the criminal trial that gripped the country in 1995 but found guilty in a later civil trial.

But on its Web site, under the headline "The Interview That Will Shake the Nation," Fox presents a video clip in which someone, presumably Regan, says to Simpson, "You wrote, 'I have never seen so much blood in my life.' "

Simpson responds, "I don't think any two people could be murdered without everybody being covered in blood."

The National Enquirer -- which broke the story about the Simpson book last month -- has cited a West Coast source familiar with the project in providing grisly details of what it claims to be Simpson's story in the book. The Enquirer says its source described the book's account of the double murder as "so detailed and chillingly realistic -- with O.J. as the central figure -- that it leaves no doubt it is a confession of what really happened." According to that report, Simpson was paid $3.5 million to do the book.

"No comment!" a Fox spokesman said on the phone yesterday before we'd said a word.

Nicole Brown Simpson's sister, Denise Brown, said in a statement issued late yesterday, "We hope Ms. Regan takes full accountability for promoting the wrong doing of criminals and leveraging this forum and the actions of 'Simpson' to commercialize abuse."

She also said she regrets that the Simpsons' two children "will be exposed to 'Simpson's' inexplicable behavior and we will provide them with our love and support during this time."

TV industry executives yesterday expressed shock and awe, and the certainty that everyone in this country would be outraged that O.J. will make big bucks off his ex-wife's murder and Fox will run a promo for the book as a sweeps stunt.

Except for their Hollywood colleagues.

"No, not in Hollywood at all, because we're all whores, but in the rest of the country where they have morals -- sure," guessed one such exec, who conceded that the moral, non-Hollywood segment of the country probably would nonetheless tune in by the millions.

"They've really kept this way under wraps," he continued. "Holy [expletive], is that a coup!"

Which pretty much summed up everyone's reaction in TV Land.

"Everybody here in town believes he did it, period, but to have framed the discussion the way Judith has is pretty unique," said the exec, who wants to be anonymous because O.J. is a free man.

And not one of the TV execs was worried Fox might have trouble selling the show to advertisers.

"This is not about advertising -- it's a news coup," one exec said. "It's also great scheduling. Fox is hurting big-time" in the ratings, "getting killed with all their new shows. They're sitting around ready to commit suicide until 'Idol' comes back."

By the way, in case you're not familiar with Regan, in 1978, she landed a job as a reporter for the National Enquirer.

You may remember Regan from her affair with married New York police chief Bernard Kerik, which came to light around the time of his failed nomination to become the head of the Department of Homeland Security in December 2004. Regan also published his bio, "The Lost Son."

Look her up on Wikipedia and you'll see the U.K. Telegraph has called her the "angriest woman in the media" and "the enfant terrible of American publishing." Vanity Fair magazine called her a "foul-mouthed tyrant."

One of the people we spoke to yesterday called her "a sick genius," adding, "And how did she convince him to do a book with that title?"

Regan, who made her name publishing the memoirs of Drew Barrymore, Howard Stern and Rush Limbaugh, among others, moved her operations to Los Angeles last year to focus more on film and TV projects.

Ironically, Fox's O.J. special, which will save the network's November ratings sweep, is being produced under its reality-programming evil genius -- and we mean "evil" in the best possible sense of the word -- Mike Darnell.

"This is an interview that no one thought would ever happen," Darnell said in yesterday's announcement.

"It's the definitive last chapter in the 'Trial of the Century.' "

Wanna bet?

• • • • • • • • • • •

Tonight on ABC's "Dancing With the Stars" we learn whether voters gave NFL great, three-time Super Bowl champ and amateur dancer Emmitt Smith the win he so richly deserves, or handed the win to that little weasel Mario "Shouldn't-be-in-this-competition" Lopez, who insisted he had no formal training except break dancing with his pals as a kid, until YouTube exposed his secret past as a kid dancer on "Kids Incorporated."

Plus, tonight we get the Sara Evans skanky divorce update! Yes, ABC has promised Tom DeLay's favorite "Dancing" contestant will be back, not to perform, alas, though we suspect we'll hear some about "how she's doing."

"Dancing" judges wisely decided to make sure they wound up last night's competition program all tied up: Emmitt 89 points, Mario 89 points. So if Mario steals the trophy it won't be their fault -- you, the viewing voters, will be entirely to blame.

On the other hand, it also means tonight's finale will do a humongous number, during the November sweeps.

Last night the two men performed three dances each. First, samba vs. samba, then each contestant got to revisit his fave performance from the season and finally, the freestyle competition -- last season's trophy-clinching round. As usual, in the first two rounds, Lopez was better, duh, and Emmitt was more charming.

But in the final round, Emmitt put on MC Hammer pants and gold shoes to dance with his professional partner Cheryl Burke to "U Can't Touch This" and tore the place up. It does not get any better than that, folks.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/11/14/AR2006111401237_pf.html

fredfa

11-15-06, 02:30 AM

TV Notebook
O. J. Simpson Writes a Book He’ll Discuss on Fox TV
By Edward Wyatt The New York Times November 15, 2006
(Bill Carter contributed from New York.)

LOS ANGELES, Nov. 14 — O. J. Simpson, who was acquitted 11 years ago in the 1994 death of his wife, Nicole Brown Simpson, and her friend Ronald L. Goldman has written a book and will appear on television telling “how he would have committed the murders if he were the one responsible,” his publisher and the Fox television network said on Tuesday.

Judith Regan, whose publishing imprint ReganBooks will release Mr. Simpson’s book Nov. 30, also conducted the television interviews, which will be broadcast on Fox in two one-hour segments on Nov. 27 and Nov. 29. Both ReganBooks and Fox are owned by the News Corporation.

According to a news release, the book and the TV special, which has a working title of “O.J. Simpson: If I Did It, Here’s How It Happened,” will depict Mr. Simpson describing “how he would have carried out the murders he has vehemently denied committing for over a decade.”

Mr. Simpson was acquitted of criminal charges, but a civil court found him responsible for the deaths, and ordered him to pay $33.5 million in restitution to the families. Only a part of the amount has been paid, and relatives of the victims have continued to pursue their claims.

It is not clear how much, if any, of the royalties on the sale of the book will go to the victims’ families. A Regan representative and a spokeswoman for Fox declined to comment beyond the news release.

The National Enquirer reported in October that a Simpson book was being planned, but that report was dismissed after Yale Galanter, a Florida lawyer said to be representing Mr. Simpson, told The Daily News that it was untrue. Mr. Galanter did not respond to phone calls yesterday seeking comment.

The TV special is being produced by Ms. Regan, who moved to Los Angeles from New York this year. Ms. Regan has previously produced shows for television featuring her authors, including a special with Jenna Jameson, the sex-film star and author of the book “How to Make Love Like a Porn Star,” which was also published by ReganBooks.

Fox representatives would not comment on whether it would solicit advertisers for the specials or whether it had concerns about presenting the specials in prime time. In its news release, the network quoted Mike Darnell, executive vice president for alternative programming, who said: “This is an interview that no one thought would ever happen. It’s the definitive last chapter in the trial of the century.”

At least one other network said it had passed on the chance to bid on the TV special because it thought the content was of questionable taste.

Rebecca Marks, a spokeswoman for NBC Universal Television, said the network passed because “from an advertising point of view, from a public relations point of view, everything, it was impossible.”

The TV special will be on Fox during the final week of the November sweeps, the period when local network affiliates measure viewership in order to determine what rates they can charge for advertising.

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/11/15/business/15book.html?pagewanted=print

fredfa

11-15-06, 02:41 AM

NielsenNotebook
ABC has a superior week
'Housewives' surges to top in two demos
By Rick Kissell Variety Nov. 15, 2006

The ladies of Wisteria Lane have still got it.

Two years removed from monster ratings and appearances on the covers of seemingly every magazine, the Sunday sudser has reasserted itself this season amid what many critics are hailing as a stronger season creatively.

The Nielsens are down from the first two seasons, but "Housewives" was the top program on television last week in both adults 18-49 (9.1 rating/20 share) and total viewers (22.27 million). It helps from a rankings standpoint, of course, that two of TV's other top dramas -- "Grey's Anatomy" and "CSI" -- are cutting into each other's ratings on Thursday.

"Housewives" was up a tick week-to-week to its best averages since its season premiere -- an encouraging sign since the previous week's episode featured a highly promotable supermarket-shooting storyline.

Excluding season finales or preems, Sunday's result repped the show's best demo score since February.

"Desperate Housewives" last week teamed with "Grey's Anatomy," "Dancing With the Stars," "Lost" and the "CMA Awards" to power ABC to its seventh victory among adults 18-49 in eight weeks this season, according to in-home viewing estimates by Nielsen.

The Alphabet's 4.2 rating/11 share in the key demo easily topped NBC (3.8/10) and CBS (3.7/10), with Fox a distant fourth (2.9/8), followed by CW (1.5/4) and Univision (1.4/4).

ABC also won in adults 25-54, edging out CBS (5.0/12 to 4.8/12) to end the Eye's seven-week winning streak, and remained on top in viewers 12-34 (3.0/10).

CBS was again the most-watched network overall (12.73 million), holding off ABC's 12.44 million, extending the Eye's season-opening winning streak to eight weeks.

In addition to "Desperate Housewives," ABC was also the top non-sports choice in demos with both "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition" (5.4/13 in 18-49, 15.10m) and "Brothers & Sisters" (5.1/13, 15.22m).

On Tuesday, the penultimate performance edition of "Dancing With the Stars" was a winner (5.9/14 in 18-49, 21.98m), as was Wednesday's results show edition (5.2/14, 20.69m). "Grey's Anatomy" (8.6/21, 20.65m) led its Thursday hour in demos, and "Lost" did the same with its fall finale (7.0/17, 17.15m).

Inaugural ABC telecast of the "Country Music Assn. Awards" (5.4/13 in 18-49, 15.96m) won Monday, matching its year-ago demo delivery on CBS.

For NBC last week, "Sunday Night Football" (7.5/18 in 18-49, 19.39m) and hot rookie "Heroes" (6.7/15, 14.47m) led the way. Latter drama was the No. 1 new series of the week in all key categories, and among all programs for the season, it stands No. 6 in 18-49.

Steady CBS was paced as usual by "CSI" (6.9/17, 20.83m), with the vet crime drama closing the demo gap with "Grey's Anatomy" and pulling ahead of the ABC medical skein in total viewers for the second time.

Wednesday drama "Criminal Minds" (5.2/12, 17.57m) hit more regular-slot highs, leading into another winning perf from "CSI: NY" (5.4/15, 16.77m). And fourth-year Tuesday drama "NCIS" hit a season high on election night (4.2/11, 15.43m).

Fox was quiet through most of the week, but "House" remained potent on Tuesday (6.8/16 in 18-49, 16.11m), as did Sunday comedies "The Simpsons" (5.2/13, 11.43m) and "Family Guy" (4.3/9, 9.04m).

Net's weak performers included first-year dramas "Justice" on Monday (1.8/4, 5.85m) and "Vanished" on Friday (0.9/3, 2.87m).

Fox pulled this week's "Vanished" in favor of a two-hour edition of "Trading Spouses," and it will be bumped as planned on Nov. 24 for the broadcast preem of "Bruce Almighty." Net said "Vanished" will return Dec. 1.

The CW was up week-to-week, highlighted by Wednesday's "America's Next Top Model" (2.6/7 in 18-49, 5.37m). Combo of "Model" and "One Tree Hill" improved by 29% in 18-34 over the result on the same night a year ago for "Model" and "Veronica Mars" (2.7/7 to 2.1/5).

ESPN again ruled the week among cable nets overall thanks to "Monday Night Football" (3.7/10, 9.94m for Seahawks-Raiders).

A standout series performer was FX's "Nip/Tuck" (2.1/6 in 18-49, 3.91m), which shot up opposite election coverage on the major nets.

Also of note was the 7.31 million that Nickelodeon attracted Friday for the network premiere of "The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie."

http://www.variety.com/index.asp?layout=print_story&articleid=VR1117953930&categoryid=14

fredfa

11-15-06, 02:42 AM

Nielsen Notebook
CMA Awards DOA on ABC
By Gary Levin USA Today Nov. 15, 2006

•Country-fried. The CMA Awards, country music's biggest night, underwhelmed in its move to ABC, averaging a record-low 16 million viewers Monday and matching last year's CBS low among young adults.

•Election returns. Tuesday's Democratic congressional victories spelled improved ratings as the top six news networks drew 31.4 million prime-time viewers, up from 26.3 million for the 2002 midterms. ABC (8.5 million) led broadcast networks, thanks to a Dancing With the Stars lead-in and an earlier start time. Fox News (3.1 million) led cable networks, slightly edging CNN (3 million) for the evening.

•Midtacular ratings. Comedy Central viewers voted for its live "midterm midtacular" election coverage. The Daily Show portion averaged 2.2 million, its second-best showing ever, and the later Colbert Report drew 1.6 million.

•Lost gains. Wednesday's "fall finale" of ABC's Lost (17.1 million viewers) trailed only the Oct. 4 premiere (18.8 million) in this season's tally and was up by a million from the previous week. Still, CBS' Criminal Minds earned its second consecutive win over Lost, setting another series high (17.6 million).

•Thursday lows. On an unusually tough night for the networks, Survivor (14.4 million viewers) and Ugly Betty (12.8 million) set series lows, Grey's Anatomy (20.7 million) had its smallest audience since January, and CSI (20.8 million) was well below average.

•Housewives rule. ABC's rebounding Desperate Housewives led prime time for a second week (22.3 million), closely trailing the previous week's supermarket-shooting episode. Dancing (22 million) ranked second and set a season high, trailing only the series' two previous season finales.

•Spongeworthy. A SpongeBob SquarePants marathon gave Nickelodeon a record-setting day Friday (4.4 million viewers), topped by a new episode (6.7 million) and the SpongeBob movie (7.3 million).

•Justice served. Fox's Justice (5.9 million viewers Monday) served its lowest numbers in six weeks, earning the legal drama a summary judgment: cancellation.

http://www.usatoday.com/life/television/news/2006-11-14-nielsens-analysis_x.htm

fredfa

11-15-06, 02:54 AM

TV Notebook
Random Acts of Thinking
By John Eggerton in the Broadcasting & Cable “bcbeat” blog

OK, I've heard everything now.

It's like the ending to that sci fi short story, (was it The Nine Billion Names Of God,?) where the stars all start winking out when the monks chant the last name. I think the name O.J. Simpson: If I Did It, Here's How It Happened is that nine billionth name, and it's time for the TV stars to wink out, or to hide their lights in shame.

OK, a little too Zen. Here's my point. Fox is airing a special by that name. The premise, the same behind the book Simpson is hawking via the special, is that O.J. tells us how he would have brutally murdered his wife and another man if he had done it, which he says he didn't.

It's kind of like a Lizzie Borden Sleep-Away Lumberjack Camp.

I think my last fond TV memory of Simpson, the one that held on the longest, was a random clip of him with a warmup jacket draped over his shoulders, steam coming off him after a run through the icehouse that was Buffalo. It has now been wiped away.

Having watched a promo for the Fox sweeps special, I was transported--OK, dragged kicking and screaming--back to the days of Fox's schlockiest reality shows, like exposing magicians and medical anomalies, which were too numerous and unpleasant to mention.

You can take the mogul out of the tabloid, but you can't take the tabloid out of the mogul.

Still, I was watching that execrable promo during Fox's wonderful House, so there is hope for humanity yet. That show is the best damn drama show, period, and was even better last night combining David Morse's brilliant menace with the added bonus of John Larroquette, who I think is much better in drama than comedy all those best supporting actor Emmys notwithstanding.

To change the subject entirely, I watched a smidge ofABC's Show Me the Money, with Shatner camping it up where he ought to have been Denny Crain-ing it up. The Show Me the Money Shot cancers were a combination of the Golddiggers circa 1968 and that scene in Apocalypse Now where the good intentions of the USO collide with the reality of men in a war zone.

The game is a campy--with Shatner,that's a given--rip-off of Deal or No Dealthat does not quite pull it off.

http://broadcastingcable.com/blog/1380000138.html

fredfa

11-15-06, 02:56 AM

fredfa

11-15-06, 03:01 AM

The Business of TV
Pols' goal-lined stand
Cable, NFL spat hits fan
By Steven Zeitchek Variety Nov. 15, 2006

The NFL Network and Time Warner were on the hot seat Tuesday in Washington, as lawmakers at a Judiciary Committee hearing questioned both sides about a carriage dispute that heads into the 11th hour.

Legislators questioned not just the disagreement, but whether the league violated the Sherman Antitrust Act by essentially selling itself a package of eight late-season games in the first place.

The NFL Network begins a six-week run of eight games beginning Nov. 23, with no agreement in sight for approximately 15 million Time Warner Cable subs. Those customers won't see the net's national telecasts, though games featuring local teams will be seen on over-the-air affiliates in those markets.

Arlen Specter (R-Pa.), who reps a state with two NFL teams and called the relatively last-minute meeting, flogged the antitrust issue hardest.

Time Warner has alleged the fees requested would be more appropriate for a top-five cable net, and one that had top-tier programming such as live games all year instead of just over a six-week period.

NFL Net has countered that the desirability of live games made its fee requests reasonable, especially in light of strong football ratings and pricey packages on the broadcast nets.

Specter also questioned the agreement that allows DirecTV the exclusive right to offer all out-of-market games via its Sunday Ticket Package.

Both TWC and the NFL Network, despite disagreeing over the feasibility of carriage, agreed on one thing: Keep government out.

In his testimony, NFL exec veep Jeffrey Pash admitted negotiations were contentious, but noted smaller carriage disagreements in the past were settled privately. "These disputes are generally resolved because one or both parties reassess and modify their positions. They do not raise antitrust issues and do not require intervention of the Congress."

And Time Warner, fearful of opening a Pandora's box of regulation, advised against intervention as well. "The government should leave the solutions to the marketplace," exec Landell Hobbs testified.

Dispute threatens to take a fight over cable rates nationwide if games are unavailable beginning Thanksgiving night.

NFL Network already has aired ads promoting its barbed Web site "I Want NFLNetwork.com." Site features a section called "Get Real, Time Warner," that notes how "subscribers will miss a large number of live or delayed nationally televised NFL games without NFL Network," including fans in nearby cities who are not eligible for over-the-air broadcasts, like Packers fans in Madison, Wis.

NFL Network execs have said privately they're happy to play a waiting game, letting calls to Time Warner Cable mount before the day of the first telecast approaches.

Time Warner Cable is crafting its own message, and has fired back by saying it would be forced to raise customer rates if it agreed to NFL Network carriage fees.

It also says the NFL Network strategy isn't working. "Despite all this avalanche of publicity, we have not seen any significant defection from our customers," spokesman Mark Harrad said.

A similar carriage dispute is the subject of a lawsuit in New York state by NFL Network against Comcast. NFL Network already has a deal with Comcast, but has been mired in a dispute over whether terms of its old deal apply to new cable systems recently acquired from Adelphia and Time Warner.

Comcast carries the NFL Network on a sports tier, which only 20% to 30% of its customers pay for, and says it is entitled to the same arrangement for its new systems. NFL claims the new systems need a new contract and wants them to carry the network on basic cable.

Cablevision is the other major system that has not yet worked out a carriage agreement with the NFL net.

http://www.variety.com/index.asp?layout=print_story&articleid=VR1117953931&categoryid=14

harley1

11-15-06, 09:43 AM

riker

11-15-06, 09:54 AM

TV knowledge from the anals of his memory

From the what of his what?? :eek:

(I assume you meant "annals" ;) )

CPanther95

11-15-06, 09:58 AM

Unless he always had his head up his........ :)

rebkell

11-15-06, 10:02 AM

TV Notebook
Random Acts of Thinking
By John Eggerton in the Broadcasting & Cable “bcbeat” blog

. . . .

Still, I was watching that execrable promo during Fox's wonderful House, so there is hope for humanity yet. That show is the best damn drama show, period, and was even better last night combining David Morse's brilliant menace with the added bonus of John Larroquette, who I think is much better in drama than comedy all those best supporting actor Emmys notwithstanding.

. . . .

Maybe it's just me, but I didn't really care for House last night, and it's probably as close as I have to a #1 favorite show on TV, but I just didn't like it, I guess House has always stretched the limits on what is believable at times, but last night seemed too far fetched, I'm sure I'll get into it as the season progresses, but so far this year, the show just isn't grabbing me like it did.

Michael252

11-15-06, 10:13 AM

Advertisers today desperately seek the 18-49 viewer. Especially the younger half of the demo. And they feel those viewers simply aren't available on Saturday nights.

I've always had a hard time understanding why this is such a coveted demo ("especially the younger half"). It seems to me that viewers 35-60 have more money and are willing to spend it.

Our kids, their spouses, and most of their friends are in the 27-34 age group. They all have good jobs, but do not have a lot of extra spending freedom (house payments, raising kids, etc., etc.).

I hear constantly about the millions and millions of baby-boomers out there and wonder why they are not as influential (advertising- and ratings-wise) as the 18-34 crowd.

fredfa

11-15-06, 10:30 AM

Unless he always had his head up his........ :)

Give me a break, CP95...not always!

fredfa

11-15-06, 10:48 AM

Tuesday’s metered market over-night prime-time ratings – and Media Week Analyst Marc Berman’s view of what they mean -- have been posted just under the HD Football listings near the top of Ratings News the first post in this thread.

fredfa

11-15-06, 11:00 AM

TV Notebook
ABC's sweeps challenge:
Hold the line
By Toni Fitzgerald MediaLifeMagazine.com staff writer Nov. 15, 2006

ABC has built a lead in the first week and a half of November sweeps. The question now is, with two of its biggest hits going off the air, whether that lead can hold.

The answer looks to be yes, barring a disastrous showing from new shows “Show Me the Money” and “Day Break.” The strength of the “Dancing with the Stars” finale, combined with the weakness of the other networks, should be enough to keep ABC ahead.

Through Sunday night, the most recent numbers available, ABC leads sweeps with a 4.1 average adults 18-49 rating and 11 share. NBC is second at 4.0/11, CBS third at 3.8/10, Fox fourth at 2.7/7, and the CW fifth at 1.4/4, tied with Univision. Sweeps ends two weeks from tonight, on Nov. 29.

Tonight, ABC will lengthen its lead to at least 0.2 rating points thanks to the “Dancing with the Stars” finale. All the network needs to do is stay close to NBC the next two weeks, and it will win. And if “Money,” which debuted last night and takes “Stars’” place, or “Lost” replacement “Break” takes off, ABC will win comfortably.

And ABC has other things in its favor. “Desperate Housewives” has been getting hot again on Sundays. Any ratings improvement will likely help lead-out “Brothers & Sisters,” which has settled at a respectable 5.2 rating range.

Plus, ABC still has several sweeps stunts left, including Barbara Walters’ two-part special “30 Mistakes in 30 Years.” Part one of that special airs Thursday after “Grey’s,” and it’s almost certain to better former timeslot occupant “Six Degrees.”

ABC’s other concern is whether NBC can catch up in the remaining two weeks. Unless “Sunday Night Football” paces far ahead of its season average, that appears unlikely.

Several new shows, including “Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip” and “Friday Night Lights,” continue to struggle but won’t be preempted during sweeps. Thursday stalwart “ER” has been sinking in recent weeks, as has Tuesday’s “Law & Order: Criminal Intent.”

NBC’s only chance is if football achieves season highs the next two weeks and Monday night hits “Deal or No Deal” and “Heroes” get season highs. Of course, considering how far back NBC was at this time last year, when it trailed sweeps leaders CBS and ABC by more than a full point, even if it doesn’t finish first, it will have had a very successful sweeps.

http://www.medialifemagazine.com/artman/publish/printer_8544.asp

fredfa

11-15-06, 11:09 AM

I've always had a hard time understanding why this is such a coveted demo ("especially the younger half"). It seems to me that viewers 35-60 have more money and are willing to spend it.

Our kids, their spouses, and most of their friends are in the 27-34 age group. They all have good jobs, but do not have a lot of extra spending freedom (house payments, raising kids, etc., etc.).

I hear constantly about the millions and millions of baby-boomers out there and wonder why they are not as influential (advertising- and ratings-wise) as the 18-34 crowd.

Advertisers believe that the older people get the more rigid they become. Thus they are not as liable to change brands or try something new. And the younger viewers -- seen as still more likely to change brands -- is seen as far more desireable.

They also believe that the younger demo sets the trends.

In certain areas (like the Thursday night commercials for movies opening the next day) they are clearly on to something. But then, to some extent, advertisers are speaking to themsleves -- or the hip, with-it people they'd like to be. The vast majority of them (at least below the executive suites) are in their 20s and 30s.

They think everyone yearns to be rich, sexy, young and live in New York or California. To them the rest of the population is just along for the ride.

In my mind an awful lot of advertising seems to be aimed at impressing the industry -- not in selling product. But that is just me -- and, I suspect, michael, you too.

fredfa

11-15-06, 11:42 AM

Critic’s Notebook
“Day Break” debuts;
”Medium” returns
By Ellen Gray Philadelphia Daily News Nov. 15, 2006

“Decision, consequence. Decision, consequence."

As catchphrases go, it's not exactly the "Heroes" battle cry, "Save the cheerleader, save the world."

But as the underlying theme of "Day Break," the "Groundhog Day"-meets-"The Fugitive" drama that tonight slips into the time slot where we're used to finding "Lost," it could come to have special meaning for ABC.

Because I'm pretty sure that the first consequence of the network's decision to schedule a lengthy hiatus for "Lost" will be to turn CBS' "Criminal Minds" into an even bigger hit.

Not that that's ever been the plan. ABC's idea was merely to spare "Lost"-ies the reruns that have plagued them for the past two seasons.

So it's anyone's guess why it chose to keep the time slot warm with a show in which every episode is, in a sense, a rerun.

Taye Diggs stars as Detective Brett Hopper, who wakes up one morning to find he's been framed for the murder of an assistant DA and that his girlfriend, Rita (Moon Bloodgood), his sister, Jennifer (Meta Golding), and his partner, Andrea (Victoria Pratt) are all at risk as a result.

(Women in peril? Where have I heard that before? Oh, yeah - "Criminal Minds.")

Then he wakes up the same morning again. And again. Each day he appears to remember what went on the (same) day before, and each day he tinkers a bit to make things come about better, only to have other things come out worse.

At least that's my best guess about what's going on in the two-hour premiere of "Day Break."

Suffering as I am from Chronic Conspiracy Fatigue, I can't be sure of anything.

Could the people framing Brett possibly be working with the ones framing Lincoln Burrows (Dominic Purcell) in "Prison Break"? Or with the ones who kidnapped that senator's wife on "Vanished"? Or even with the mysterious Others on "Lost"?

Darned if I know. Or care.

What I do know is that there are at least two veterans of "The X-Files," Mitch Pileggi and Adam Baldwin, in the supporting cast, and a couple of more among the producers, which for those afflicted with CCF must be regarded as Not a Good Sign.

Not a Good Sign at All.

Because as much fun as it might be for some of us to start our Wednesday nights watching a shirtless Taye Diggs get out of bed - just as it was once fun to watch Agents Mulder and Scully chase goblins and ghosties and things that go bump in the night - these TV conspiracies have a way of ending badly.

Or not at all.

'Medium's' back tonight

"Lost" isn't the first show to go missing in action this season.

NBC's "Medium," which returns tonight with a two-hour episode before moving to 10 p.m. Wednesdays next week, lost its Monday night slot in the fall-schedule shuffle to "Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip."

Scheduled for the bleak midseason, it was called back early when "Kidnapped" tanked.

Besides star Patricia Arquette's new cool-mom haircut, the season premiere serves up a few gimmicks - Arquette's real-life husband Thomas Jane playing her ex-boyfriend, and some clairvoyant dreams depicted in animation - while managing to stay true to itself and its not-so-dreary domestic details.

The characters on NBC's "Heroes" may have cooler abilities, but only "Medium" shows why even a mother with a superpower can only dream of becoming Supermom.

http://www.philly.com/mld/philly/entertainment/television//16015413.htm?template=contentModules/printstory.jsp

fredfa

11-15-06, 11:56 AM

Reminder: because I forgot and tuned in late ---

Live HD from the Space Station, now on Discovery HD. It is amazing stuff.

It will be repeated tonight at 9 PM ET, 6 PM PT.

fredfa

11-15-06, 12:08 PM

Tuesday’s updated fast national over night prime-time ratings – and Media Week Analyst Marc Berman’s view of what they mean -- have been posted just under the HD Football listings near the top of Ratings News the first post in this thread.

humdinger70

11-15-06, 12:20 PM

Almost 29 million viewers watched Dancing with the Stars! The Emmitt factor lives!

archiguy

11-15-06, 12:26 PM

Critic’s Notebook
“Day Break” debuts;
”Medium” returns
By Ellen Gray Philadelphia Daily News Nov. 15, 2006

Because I'm pretty sure that the first consequence of the network's decision to schedule a lengthy hiatus for "Lost" will be to turn CBS' "Criminal Minds" into an even bigger hit.

That is the only rock-solid certainty with regards to this scheduling move. And considering the subject matter of CM and it's position as just another crime procedural (and not a particularly great one) in a schedule already overflowing with 'em, that's a shame.

fredfa

11-15-06, 01:59 PM

I agree totally, archiguy.

By the time "Lost" returns, I think "Criminal Minds" will be a ratings juggernaut.

fredfa

11-15-06, 02:05 PM

Critic’s Notebook
“Day Break” debuts
(”Criminal Minds” Benefits)
By Ed Bark former Dallas Morning News TV critic at his website unclebarky.com

Groundhog Day meets The Fugitive meets 24 meets The Twilight Zone. And that's the shorthand description of ABC's Day Break, scheduled to replace Lost for the next 13 weeks unless too many viewers find themselves way too puzzled to participate.

Taye Diggs stars as detective Brett Hopper, fated to repeatedly wake up at 6:18 a.m. in bed with sumptuous girlfriend Rita Shelten (Moon Bloodgood). It's the only good part of a day in which he's mysteriously charged with murdering a Los Angeles assistant district attorney. He'd better run for his life if he can, which he does. But Hopper can't escape his daily grind -- a rewind. He's beaten, shot, betrayed and traumatized, all before he's even had a chance to have his coffee. And then he's back in the sack again, wondering what course of action to take this time around.

"I'm just trying to get control of this day," the poor guy laments.

ABC is kicking off Day Break with a furiously paced two-hour pilot replete with gun battles, chases and bloodletting. All the while, Hopper's had a cautionary warning pounded into his psyche by a thug in a nylon stocking mask. "Just remember, for every decision, there's a consequence," he's told. "Decision. Consequence. Decision. Consequence."

The upside is that all of this supposedly will be resolved within 13 episodes. That's a welcome departure from fall's onslaught of stringalong serial dramas, some of which already have been canceled. Day Break, unlike Lost, is promising a payoff in relatively short order. Still, 13 episodes can be a long pull. And if you aren't there at the starting line, you almost certainly won't be around for the finish. Weekly "Previously on Day Break" summations just aren't going to cut it on a show where whatever happens one day informs what happens on the next. It might be easier to explain Finnegans Wake to Pauly Shore.

Hopper is the only one who knows what's happened all along. Pity his poor girlfriend, Rita, who has no clue and must keep being told to trust him. He has a very good reason to be ultra-concerned with her safety. You'll know what that reason is about one-third of the way through Wednesday's opener.

Diggs is solid and empathetic in the lead role. You want him to get to the bottom of all this. Still, it's going to be tough duty to stick with him. Many viewers might opt to say, "Good luck, man, but this is just too much for me." If that's the case, Lost's scheduled February return with an uninterrupted run of 16 episodes might be too long a wait for ABC.

Prospects: Day Break likely will open the door to even further audience gains by CBS' competing Criminal Minds. Still, it should at least be able to finish second opposite NBC's The Biggest Loser. If not, the hook will be quick, with Day Break instead whiling away its days on ABC.com.

Grade: B
http://www.unclebarky.com/fall.html

fredfa

11-15-06, 02:11 PM

Overnights in the 18-49 Demo
CBS's '3 Lbs.' lands with a loud thump
New doctor drama pulls a 2.8 rating in 18-49s
By Toni Fitzgerald MediaLifeMagazine.com staff writer Nov. 15, 2006

CBS has fashioned a very solid 8-10 p.m. lineup Tuesday nights with “NCIS” and “The Unit.” But the network just can’t seem to find the right show to end the night.

Last night “3Lbs.” became the fifth show to hold the timeslot since the start of the 2005-2006 season, and its numbers were not encouraging.

“Lbs.” averaged a 2.8 adults 18-49 rating in the 10 p.m. timeslot, according to Nielsen overnights, 20 percent below the 3.5 that drama “Smith” pulled in its September debut. It also trailed “Smith’s” debut among total viewers by nearly 1 million, averaging 9.8 million.

“Smith,” of course, was pulled for disappointing ratings after just three episodes. “Close to Home,” “Threshold” and “Amazing Race” have also cycled through the timeslot over the past year, with “CSI” franchise reruns filling in the rest of the time.

“Lbs.” received lukewarm reviews. It’s about two brain surgeons, including the always-superlative Stanley Tucci, with the title referring to the weight of the human brain. But critics complained the show was too derivative of TV’s current hit doctor dramas, “Grey’s Anatomy” and “House.”

Last night “Lbs.” was not helped by a somewhat weaker-than-usual lead-in from “Unit,” which aired against the final half-hour of part one of ABC’s “Dancing with the Stars” finale. “Unit” averaged a 3.4, down 0.2 from its season average.

CBS may be better off sticking with the “CSI” reruns in the slot, which fare generally better than “Lbs.” or “Smith” did.

Elsewhere last night, ABC’s “Stars” had a huge turnout for the penultimate episode, averaging 26.7 million total viewers and a 7.5 18-49 rating for the 90-minute episode starting at 8 p.m. It peaked at 9 p.m., averaging 28.6 million viewers and an 8.4 rating in its final half hour.

That did not, however, give ABC much of a boost for the premiere of new game show “Show Me the Money.” The 90-minute William Shatner-hosted program dipped 40 percent from its start to its finish, averaging a 3.9 overall.

On the strength of “Stars,” ABC took the night among 18-49s with a 5.7 average rating and a 15 share. Fox finished second at 4.1/11, NBC third at 3.6/9, CBS fourth at 3.5/9, CW fifth at 1.6/4 and Univision sixth at 1.4/4.

ABC started the night with a comfortable lead, taking the 8 p.m. hour with a 7.1 average for the first hour of “Stars.” CBS was second that hour with a 4.2 for “NCIS,” NBC third with a 2.3 for “Friday Night Lights” and Fox, CW and Univision tied for fourth at 2.0, Fox for “Standoff,” CW for “Gilmore Girls” and Univision for “La Fea Mas Bella.”

ABC led again at 9 p.m. with a 6.6 average for the last half hour of “Dancing” (8.4) and the first 30 minutes of “Show Me the Money” (4.8). Fox pulled to a close second with a 6.2 average for “House,” with CBS third with a 3.4 for “The Unit.” That left NBC fourth with a 3.1 for “Law & Order: Criminal Intent,” Univision fifth with a 1.4 for “Mundo de Fieras” and CW sixth with a 1.2 for “Veronica Mars.”

NBC took the lead at 10 p.m. with a 5.3 for “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit,” with ABC second with a 3.5 for the last hour of “Money,” CBS third with a 2.8 for “Lbs.” and Univision fourth with a 0.9 for “Ver para Creer.”

ABC also took the night among households with a 12.7 average rating and a 20 share. CBS was second at 8.0/12, NBC third at 6.5/10, Fox fourth at 6.0/9, CW fifth at 2.4/4 and Univision sixth at 2.0/3.

http://www.medialifemagazine.com/artman/publish/article_8573.asp

lencarr

11-15-06, 02:14 PM

The NFL should just say next season the NFL Network channel will have exclusive tv rights to that game - no local tv channels available.

The NHL does that with OLN/VS games.

Then they should schedule games in cities that the cable companies refuse to add the NFL Network Channel.

Put the burden on the cable company to explain why they refuse to let the channel be added for NFL fans.

Yes... let the NFL/NFL Network do this exactly as you suggest... it would provide ample evidence of their anti-trust violations :rolleyes: . This would without a doubt force some regulatory action.

Then the NFL/NFL Network could explain why they have chosen to violate their existing contracts with the networks that require that local games that have met the blackout requirements must be broadcast on an over-the-air channel.

The cable companies could then put the burden on the NFL/NFL Network to explain to the cable customers why 100% of their customers must pay for programming that is of interest to only a fraction of the viewers.

fredfa

11-15-06, 02:18 PM

OK. We all have read posts (maybe even written them) about the dumb people who just don’t “Get” HDTV.
Well here is a blog item from Ray Richmond.
Trust me, Ray ain’t dumb. But he is frustrated about his experience with HD. And it isn't necessarily his job to know everything about every technology. Why hasn't it been made easier for people to understand HD?
Sadly, it seems we have a long, long way to go before this HD mumbo jumbo seems clear to many, many people. And not just to the much denigrated Joe Six Pack.

Critic’s Notebook
So Maybe That 'HD' Part Stands For 'Highly Doubtful'
By Ray Richmond The Hollywood Reporter in his blog “Past Deadline” Nov. 15, 2006

The assignment was simple enough: watch and write a review of Dan Rather's debut in his new series "Dan Rather Reports" on HDNet, the by-subscription-only service launched by flamboyant billionaire Mark Cuban. But it quickly became impossible to accomplish for reasons that will soon become clear.

It started innocently enough with a phone call to the press contact at the network, who assured me that they just weren't going to have a rough cut done in time for review in advance. And I thought, well that's fine, sure, why would an obscure, fledgling service available to a mere smattering of digital cable homes feel the need to draw attention to itself? I mean, it's already so on the map.

But no matter. I soldiered on and just figured I'd watch the show and review it "off-air," as we say in the journalism racket. Turned out this was much easier said than done.

Here's my phone call to a Time Warner Cable rep on Tuesday evening:

Time Warner Phone Dude: "Time Warner Cable, may I help you?"

Me: "Yes, I'd like to subscribe to HDNet. I'm a digital cable sub already."

TWPD: "That's great sir. Yes, you can subscribe to our high definition package for $5 a month."

Me: "Well, I really only need it for one night, but I'll take the month."

TWPD: "Okay then...Oh, but I see here that you don't have the high-def box that's required."

Me: "Oh, I need a special box?"

TWPD: "Yes, unfortunately. What kind of HD TV do you have?"

Me: "Oh, um...I don't have a high def TV."

TWPD: "Oh. Well, then even if you had the HD box, you'd receive the audio feed but no picture."

Me: "Maybe the audio is all I need. I just want to hear Dan Rather's show tonight."

TWPD: "But even that could wind up distorted without the proper equipment, sir."

Me: "So let me see if I've got this straight: If I wanted to watch Dan Rather's show tonight on HDNet, I'd need your special HD box, go out and buy an expensive new HD television set, do a month's subscription to your high def package and then...pray you guys find me worthy?"

TWPD: (Laughing) "No sir, we would find you worthy. But you would also have to reconfigure your digital signal, and that could take several hours to become effective."

Me: "Wow. I never knew Dan Rather was so...exclusive. If CBS News had realized this, they might not have treated him like such crap, don't you think?"

TWPD: (Laughing) "I really wouldn't know, sir."

Me: "Trust me, it would never be nearly this difficult to tune in Katie Couric."

(Awkward Pause)

TWPD: "Well...Is there anything else I can get for you tonight sir?

Me: "You haven't gotten me anything yet."

TWPD: "Yes, I understand and I greatly apologize for that sir."

Me: "Have you ever considered joining the UN to work as a diplomat?"

TWPD: "No sir."

(2nd Awkward Pause)

TWPD: "Can I help you with anything else tonight sir?"

Me: "No, I don't think so. I appreciate your time. Tell Dan Rather I said, 'Next time, don't be such a stranger'."

TWPD: "Come again sir?"

Me: "Never mind."

TWPD: "Well thank you for calling Time Warner Cable, sir. You have a very nice night."

Perhaps this is why HDNet's slogan is, "Television like you've never seen before" -- because, in fact, you've never seen it. And may never will.

http://www.pastdeadline.com/

fredfa

11-15-06, 02:24 PM

...The cable companies could then put the burden on the NFL/NFL Network to explain to the cable customers why 100% of their customers must pay for programming that is of interest to only a fraction of the viewers.

Nah, that will never happen.

Then the cable companies would have to try to explain to all their customers why they have to pay for ESPN or Fox News or CNN or MTV or ....well you get the picture.

The system is set up so we all pay for programming that is only of interest to a fraction of the viewers. And it has made many people, and many corporations, very, very wealthy.

I am kind of surprised the cable companies are drawing such attention to the situation. It seems really counter productive. Because I suspect in the long run this whole debate will simply hasten the day a la carte is made possible through federal legislation.

And then we all can simply pay for the channels we watch. What a revolutionary idea!

fredfa

11-15-06, 02:25 PM

Oh, and by the way, lencarr -- welcome to the thread! :)

fredfa

11-15-06, 02:30 PM

The Business of TV
News Corp. buyback deal looms
Rupert ready to shed DirecTV?

The Associated Press via The Hollywood Reporter Nov 15, 2006

ADELAIDE, Australia -- Rupert Murdoch said Wednesday his News Corp. was close to a deal to buy back Liberty Media's stake in his media empire, and that the company would probably drop its "poison pill" antitakeover measure if it goes ahead.

Murdoch, speaking to shareholders at the company's former base of Adelaide, said negotiations with John Malone's Liberty Media Corp. were still under way, but a deal was "very likely."

Murdoch, the Australian-born chairman and chief executive of the global media company, said it expects to buy back Liberty's stake in a "large" but cashless deal. He said the group will use assets to buy out Liberty's stake.

The two sides have been talking about swapping Liberty's 19% voting stake in News Corp. for one or more assets, possibly News Corp.'s 38% interest in the satellite TV broadcaster DirecTV Group Inc.

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/content_display/news/e3ijeVjBTdqfqtA18b4T79A%2BQ%3D%3D

fredfa

11-15-06, 02:35 PM

The Business of TV
Fox's O.J. Simpson show tarnishes all of television
From Maureen Ryan’s Chicago Tribune blog “The Watcher” November 15, 2006

What happened to Fox?

Sure, we all remember that this is the channel that brought us “Joe Millionaire” and “The Littlest Groom” and all sorts of stomach-churning reality fare.

Still, this is also the network that broadcasts “House.” It’s the former home of “Arrested Development,” for goodness sake.

Fox has even moved away from sleazoid reality in recent years, transitioning to more family friendly fare such as “So You Think You Can Dance.” And in “American Idol,” it’s got possibly the most family-friendly franchise in all of television.

Speaking of that last show – it is, as you’re no doubt aware, a cash cow. Thanks to “Idol,” Fox is rolling in dough.

So why on Earth would the network feel the need to air “O.J. Simpson: If I Did It, Here's How It Happened,” a nauseating two-part special in which the former NFL star will talk about how he would have killed his ex-wife and Ronald Goldman – except that, of course, he didn’t.

As my colleague Phil Rosenthal pointed out in his column today, (see next post) a book on the same topic, published by a Fox-owned company, is coming out Nov. 30, the day after the second part of the interview airs on the Fox network. “It's one hand soiling the other,” Rosenthal wrote.

Perhaps Fox executives were forced by their corporate overlords to air this disgusting spectacle. One wished they’d had the backbone to just say no.

This move tarnishes not only the network, giving people the impression that Fox has gone back to peddling full-on sleaze, but it tarnishes all of television. I’d bet the producers of “House” and “24” are currently taking anti-nausea medication at the thought that they have to share a network with this kind of tabloid trash.

Fox executives need to take a good hard look at their network and decide what they want it to be known for. Frankly, aside from “House” and “24,” there’s not much worth watching on Fox.

Of course “Idol” will continue to fill the coffers for years to come, but executives at the network seem to have given up on trying to come up with quality scripted fare to fill up the space between “Idol” seasons. This season’s new Fox shows were particularly weak, and many of the networks new programs are already gone.

It’s going to take Fox a very long time to live down the stigma of this heinous O.J. program. Perhaps an effort to come up with a slate of quality programs will help. A little.

The bottom line is, Fox needs this program like it needs a hole in the head. Does it want to be known for popular, quality programs or does it want to be known as the purveyor of exploitative fare?

Rupert Murdoch and his Fox network minions needs to decide.

http://tempo.typepad.com/entertainment_tv/

fredfa

11-15-06, 02:36 PM

The Business of TV
O.J. programs show a lot about today's media
By Phil Rosenthal Chicago Tribune Media Columnist Published November 15, 2006

So the folks at Fox Broadcasting, class acts that they are, announced Tuesday they have scheduled not one but two one-hour programs for later this month in which O.J. Simpson, class act that he is, will explain how he would have killed ex-wife Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Goldman.

You know. If he had killed them. If.

Not sleazy enough for you? The interview is to be conducted by publisher Judith Regan, class act that she is, whose Regan imprint for HarperCollins, class act that it is, will put out Simpson's hypothetically confessional "If I Did It." Because HarperCollins and Fox are both News Corp. companies, it's one hand soiling the other.

Mike Darnell, Fox's executive vice president of alternative programming, said in a statement heralding "O.J. Simpson: If I Did It, Here's How It Happened," "This is an interview that no one thought would ever happen."

And that's undoubtedly true. For a lot of reasons. Not the least of which is it's tasteless and utterly unnecessary.

What's O.J. going to say? That he never would have slashed their throats but might have stuffed them in a sack and drowned them in the ocean? That he would have poisoned them? Maybe he'll claim he was Col. Mustard in the drawing room with the candlestick?

The second hour is slated to air Nov. 29, the day before the book hits stores. But what's more interesting is that the first hour is scheduled for Nov. 27, a 30th anniversary of note.

It was on that day in 1976 that Paddy Chayefsky's "Network," a sadly prophetic satire that looks more understated each day, was released.

Giving a man, acquitted of double murder but found responsible for the crimes in civil court, a broadcast forum to profit from playing "what if" is perfectly in keeping with Chayefsky's vision of entertainment values trumping those of news--and morality.

It seemed absurd 30 years ago that a man who, upon learning he was losing his job to low ratings, would get to keep his job after an on-air threat to commit suicide, become a big star, then have the network order him killed by terrorists (who had their own reality show) when his popularity declined.

Now we have O.J.

Everyone quotes the Howard Beale rant, "I'm as mad as hell and I'm not going to take this anymore!"

The more telling, more chilling speech in Chayefsky's tale of corporate corruption and the general decline of civilization is the icy chairman Arthur Jensen lecturing anchorstar Beale for trying to spoil a multinational deal involving the network's parent company.

"You have meddled with the primal forces of nature," Jensen thunders.

"I have had that exact speech given to me by an executive of a television company whose name I will not mention," MSNBC's Keith Olbermann, who does a fair impression of Ned Beatty-as-Jensen, said last summer.

And with the networks increasingly hard-pressed to maintain profit margins, former "Nightline" anchor Ted Koppel, who left ABC News for cable's Discovery Channel, where his "Iran: The Most Dangerous Nation" runs Sunday at 8 p.m., isn't sure TV news will ever be what it used to be.

"Salvageable in the sense of being again what it was 30 years ago? No, probably not," Koppel said. "You've got far more competition for less available income, and therefore they can only do two things: They can try to increase the amount of money they make by getting the highest value viewers, and those tend to be the young people between the ages of 18 and 39, or you can do it by cutting costs. ... The irony to me is that at a time when we need to know more about the rest of the world than ever before, we have actually diminished our capacity to cover it."

Koppel can go to Iran for Discovery at a time when media companies are cutting budgets and bureaus because the cable network not only makes money from ads, it gets fees from cable franchises. A high-profile special that brings prestige to the channel is as valuable in terms of branding and promotion as it is for the audience it draws.

"Ask yourself why NBC is working on its 15th iteration of `Pedophiles We Have Caught,'" he said. "They're getting huge ratings doing it. Is it an important subject? Yes, it is. Is it so important that you do 15 hours on it? No."

Can't wait for Fox to put on those arrested in NBC's stings to explain that they're not guilty of anything, but if they were....

http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/columnists/chi-0611150081nov15,0,6450151.column

123HDTV

11-15-06, 02:39 PM

How does someone accept an assignment to write about a show on a High Definition channel without having HiDef equipment to watch it? It just boggles my mind how the mindset of these "reviewers" is so narrow and self limiting.

fredfa

11-15-06, 02:55 PM

fredfa

11-15-06, 02:58 PM

TV Notebook
Fox: No Hiatus for Prison Break
By John Consoli Media Week (with Marc Berman) NOVEMBER 15, 2006 -

Fox is leaning toward running 22 consecutive episodes first-run of Prison Break this season straight through, choosing not to pull the series at the end of the November sweeps as it did last season, before bringing it back in March, Preston Beckman, executive vp, strategic program planning at Fox said today at the International Radio & Television Society breakfast session.

Last season, Fox pulled the series after the Nov. 28 episode and brought it back in first-run on March 20, airing it through May 22 which was the final week of the season. At the time, Fox got complaints from viewers who wanted to watch the series in consecutive weeks, like Fox airs its drama series 24.

This season, Fox has already aired 11 episodes but will continue running the next 11 originals. "We do have a little break because we will be airing two BCS [college Bowl Championship Series] games and a two-hour 24 premiere in January (in the Prison Break time period)," Beckman said, but it will run straight through after that."

Prison Break, much like other serials, ABC's Lost and Desperate Housewives, and its own 24, do not do well in repeat.

NBC also plans to air its freshman hit serialized drama, Heroes, straight through in originals, after only a short hiatus, beginning Jan. 22, according to Mitch Metcalf, executive vp, program planning and scheduling at NBC. The network has aired eight so far and will air three more in fourth quarter before bringing the series back in all first-run in January.

And ABC, which aired just six episodes of Lost and now has the series on hiatus, will bring it back in February and run the remaining 16 episodes. Jeff Bader, executive vp, ABC Entertainment, the network is hoping to keep viewer interest up during the hiatus by airing clips from the upcoming episodes during telecasts of Daybreak, the drama series that will be airing in the Lost, 9 p.m. Wednesday time period between now and February.

Bader said ABC decided on this strategy over two others--hold back premiering Lost this season until January and running it 22 episodes straight through, or airing the six episodes as it did and then airing Lost repeats until February when the originals return. Of the first option, he said the network was making too many other scheduling moves, like moving Grey's Anatomy to Thursday, and bringing on eight new shows, "plus we weren't sure how Dancing With the Stars would do." So the decision was made to open the season with some original Lost episodes. The second option was not selected, Bader said, "because Lost repeats are like crimes against humanity" when it comes to getting viewers.

CBS will pull its freshman serialized drama hit, Jericho, after its first-run Nov. 29 airing and bring it back in first-run in February also, rather than airing it in repeat during its first-run hiatus. Kelly Kahl, executive vp, programming operations, for CBS, said Jericho will still be available in repeat for viewers online, and said the network will be airing commercials touting the return of the show in February. --

http://www.mediaweek.com/mw/news/recent_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1003408065

fredfa

11-15-06, 03:02 PM

TV Notebook
Fox's Beckman Defends O.J. Simpson Sweeps Interview
John Consoli Media Week NOVEMBER 15, 2006 -

Fox's head of scheduling Preston Beckman today defended the network's plan to air an exclusive two-part interview with O.J. Simpson titled, "O.J. Simpson: If I Did It, Here's How It Happened."

The interview, conducted by publisher Judith Regan, will air on Monday Nov. 27 and Wednesday, Nov. 29, at 9 p.m., during the November sweeps.

The two-part interview has, among other things, Simpson describing how he would have carried out the murders that he has denied, and was acquitted of, committing.

"When you put something like this on, you expect to get hammered a bit by the critics," Beckman said. "But all the networks do it at some point during the sweeps. They do it for ratings. Remember ABC aired the allegations about Paula Abdul and the Michael Jackson interview [in which Jackson was grilled about his relationship with young boys]?"

Allegations made against American Idol judge Abdul that she had an affair with one of the contestants, aired on ABC's Primetime Live during the 2005 May sweeps. And the Jackson interview on ABC aired during the February 2003 sweeps. Fox also aired a Jackson interview, including outtakes from the ABC interview, that same month of the sweeps.

Regan's ReganBooks division of Harper Collins is publishing a book by Simpson titled "If I Did It," which is due out on Nov. 30. ReganBooks is a division of HarperCollins, the publishing unit owned by Fox parent News Corp., so there is some corporate synergy involved. But Beckman told a International Radio & Television Society audience today that it was he who initiated conversations about doing the O.J. special, having Mike Darnell, executive vp of alternative programming at Fox, contact Regan.

"I know that Regan was talking with other networks, all of whom will deny that now," he said. "This was not something we had in our back pocket. It was not something we planned to do. But when we heard she was publishing the book, we called her and made the deal."

While the interviews are expected to get sizable ratings, it is questionable about how much advertising can be sold. Jon Nesvig, Fox sales president, said, tongue-in-cheek, "Since the announcement was made, my phone has been ringing off the hook."

Asked if that meant he was being deluged with calls from advertisers wanting to buy ad time in the two-hours, Nesvig repeated, "Since the announcement was made, my phone has been ringing off the hook."

http://www.mediaweek.com/mw/news/recent_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1003408097

keenan

11-15-06, 03:02 PM

I suspect, 123HDTV that like many, many people, Ray just hasn't thought much about HD.

We could argue that perhaps he shoudl know mkore about it, but then he is a critic of content not of electronics.

I certainly understand your point (and to some extent agree with it) but in posting Ray's blog item I was simply trying to point out that we all have a long way to go in explaining HD when people the caliber of Ray Richmond remain so much in the dark.
Yes, but for him to think that every channel is available everywhere really makes you wonder how much he really knows about how that content is delivered. In the writer's defense though, HDNet is a bit of an anomaly in that there is no analog or SD version of the channel. The exchange with TW was very funny though. :D

fredfa

11-15-06, 03:06 PM

The Business of TV
News Corp.'s Murdoch upbeat, predicts Malone deal
By Lyndal McFarland MarketWatch Nov 15, 2006

ADELAIDE (MarketWatch) -- News Corp. (NWS) chairman Rupert Murdoch said Wednesday that advertising markets are likely to be flat this year, but remains confident annual earnings could grow as much as 16%.

"In our major markets of the United States, Australia and Great Britain the advertising market is pretty flat. In some places it is down a fraction, in other places it is up a fraction," Murdoch told Australian shareholders at a meeting in his hometown of Adelaide.

News Corp. should achieve annual operating profit growth of 14% to 16%, he said, repeating comments made earlier this month when the company reported a 6.4% fall in first quarter income to US$851 million.

The film division is likely to perform well this year, boosted by hits such as Borat, while global newspaper operations should be at around the same level as last year.

Murdoch said negotiations are continuing with John Malone's Liberty Media Corp. (L) about repurchasing Liberty's 18% stake in the company, which he built up from an afternoon newspaper in Adelaide to a US$28 billion media giant that now calls New York home.

A deal with Malone is "very likely" and will involve assets as payment, he said. The transaction will be "practically cashless".

News Corp. is looking at opportunities to enter the multibillion dollar online computer game sector following its success with the online community website MySpace. Murdoch said MySpace users could reach more than 200 million by the end of next year.

http://www.marketwatch.com/news/story/story.aspx?siteid=mktw&guid=%7B507D1232-EE6B-47F3-A9E9-B82D578DDA22%7D&print=true&dist=printTop

mp12point7

11-15-06, 03:08 PM

keenan

11-15-06, 03:08 PM

I'll bet that OJ thing will get spectacular ratings, and if it does, it will just confirm my belief that the average TV viewer is, well, not to be harsh, but, not the sort of people I'd want to know.

fredfa

11-15-06, 03:10 PM

TV News Notebook
Eye's news ratings flag
Vote of confidence for NBC
By Rick Kissell Variety.com Nov. 15, 2006

Election week was very good to NBC's front-running "Nightly News," while CBS' third-place "Evening News" sagged.

For the first time since Katie Couric assumed the "Evening News" anchor's chair in early September, the Eye newscast came in below its audience level of the same week a year ago.

According to Nielsen estimates for Nov. 6-10, the Brian Williams-fronted "Nightly News" set the pace among the early-evening news programs with a 2.5 rating/9 share among adults 25-54 and 9.8 million viewers overall. ABC's "World News" ran second (2.3/9 in 25-54, 8.82m) and CBS' "Evening News" came in third (2.0/7, 7.76m).

Though the Eye newscast has resided in third place for more than a month now, the net had been able to point to year-to-year gains. But, at least for one week, that is no longer the case as "Evening News" came in 4% below last year's audience (8.07 million) when Bob Schieffer was in the anchor chair.

NBC also was down slightly while ABC, with Charles Gibson now front and center, was on the rise.

The NBC newscast won each night to log its highest weekly average since February and its biggest lead over ABC this fall.

It's probably not a coincidence that NBC's gains in recent weeks are coinciding with declines at CBS, since a good chunk of the early-week sampling for Couric, a former NBC News fixture on "Today," came at the expense of Williams and NBC.

On the cable news front in primetime, Fox News remained out in front over CNN, but its advantage in adults 25-54 during election week was trimmed to 5% (466,000 viewers to 444.000) one week after enjoying a big 70% advantage (397,000 to 233,000).

In overall total viewers, Fox News averaged 1.54 million in primetime (down 13% vs. the same week a year ago) while rivals CNN (1.22 million, up 59%) and MSNBC (712,000, up 76%) both were sharply on the rise.

http://www.variety.com/index.asp?layout=print_story&articleid=VR1117953922&categoryid=14

fredfa

11-15-06, 03:13 PM

Fredfa, I couldn't believe Ray Richmond's article on Dan Rather's HDNet show. I telephoned hm and asked a simple question,"was this tongue-in-cheek, or for real?" He replied the former, but agreed with me that it was a real shame he didn't have an HD TV set in his line of work!

Good job!

The more people who write about TV who actually see thw wonders we get to view on the daily basis, the better off we all will be.

Thanks for making the call!

humdinger70

11-15-06, 03:14 PM

“O.J. Simpson: If I Did It, Here's How It Happened”

What does he mean, "If"!

fredfa

11-15-06, 03:17 PM

I'll bet that OJ thing will get spectacular ratings, and if it does, it will just confirm my belief that the average TV viewer is, well, not to be harsh, but, not the sort of people I'd want to know.

This is one of the very rare cases where I almost hope for someone to make it known that he/she will lead a very public boycott of any advertiser who puts its commercials in the show.

On the other hand, perhaps a company should just put up a 30-second slide of its logo with a voiceover saying it has split a $500,000 dontaion between the family of Ron Goldman and a national battered women's group.

THAT would make a strong, strong statement and be a marvelous use of advertising $$$.

fredfa

11-15-06, 03:20 PM

One more thought: maybe Fox could milk this for one more (bloody and shameless) hour by assembling the 12 orginal jurors, having them watch O.J.'s "hypothetical" as a group, and then asking them if they are still pleased with their verdict.

fredfa

11-15-06, 03:31 PM

TV Notebook
Network Execs Talk Patience at IRTS Panel
Vote of confidence for NBC
By Michele Greppi Television Week November 15, 2006

"Dancing With the Stars" will be back on the air in March in time slots still to be decided until ABC decides whether it to throw its megahit reality show up against Fox's time-tested, mid-season juggernaut "American Idol."

"I have a feeling 'American Idol' is going to go down," ABC Executive VP Jeff Bader said, with just the right mix of "I'm kidding" and "I'm betting" in his voice, to the breakfast crowd that attended an International Radio & Television Society panel discussion that drew him and his three network counterparts to New York on Wednesday.

The big theme was patience in the face of tepid audience response and/or giant hits that can turn an hour or two into a Bermuda triangle for hapless competitors.

But the first topic of discussion was the O.J. Simpson special that Fox announced it would air Nov. 27 and 29 to close the first sweeps ratings book of the 2006-2007 season. A spinoff of his pending ReganBooks tome, with the working title "If I Did It, Here's How," the project ended up being a News Corp. family project but didn't start out that way, according to Preston Beckman, senior VP of strategic program planning for Fox.

Mr. Beckman said talks for the special didn't start until about two weeks ago, when he read a story about Mr. Simpson's "hypothetical" take on the murder of his wife, Nicole Brown Simpson, and her friend Ron Goldman. Mr. Simpson was acquitted of criminal charges in 1995 and has never paid the judgment from a civil case in which he was judged responsible for their gruesome deaths.

Mr. Beckman said he called Mike Darnell, the Fox executive VP for alternative programming, whose credits have tended toward the sensational, and started the ball rolling.

The scheduler said it just "conveniently" turned out the special could be ready in time for sweeps.

"I don't think we should get any more grief about Victoria's Secret," said Kelly Kahl, senior executive VP for programming and operations for CBS and The CW, referring to the network's annual runway parade of scantily clad supermodels.

The back and forth was sometimes sharp but always good-natured.

When Mitch Metcalf, executive VP of program planning and scheduling for NBC, tried again to explain why reality programming at 8 p.m. is only a preferred option and "not a hard and fast rule," Mr. Bader said, "We all have thoughts like that, but we don't say them out loud."

Mr. Metcalf said NBC will announce its midseason schedule in a few days and that "We'll take care of 'Friday Night Lights' because we believe in it." NBC announced Monday that it picked up a full freshman season of the critically praised but ratings-challenged series this fall.

Another critics' darling, Aaron Sorkin's "Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip," continues to draw an upscale but shrinking audience and "obviously is not retaining the size of audience we want" at 10 p.m. Monday, Mr. Metcalf said. But he added that the downside of a move is the real possibility of further viewing disruption. He said the back nine episodes recently ordered will "focus increasingly on characters and relationships."

Asked whether that meant less focus on "crazy Christians," Mr. Metcalf repeated that there would be more focus on characters and relationships.

ABC's biggest test of patience is "The Nine," which has been lavishly praised but is not living up to its "Lost" lead-in. "There is nothing wrong with that show," Mr. Bader said.

Mr. Beckman said Fox "probably" will pick up the back nine for "Standoff," a romantic FBI thriller that recently moved to 8 p.m. Tuesday, opposite "Friday Night Lights" and CBS' "NCIS," which Mr. Beckman described as the poster child for patience.

As for "The O.C.," Fox's once hot and now North Pole-cold teen drama, Mr. Beckman said, "The best thing for us is to leave it there" opposite "Grey's Anatomy" on Thursday and hope it can regenerate some heat in December, when it's competing with reruns.

http://www.tvweek.com/news.cms?newsId=11071

fredfa

11-15-06, 03:45 PM

Critic’s Notebook
'Lost' didn't trip you up?
Try 'Day Break.'
By Tim Goodman San Francisco Chronicle Wednesday, November 15, 2006

As if "Lost" fans haven't suffered enough with what amounts to a tantalizing but never ending game of cat and mouse with mysteries and answers on the hit show -- not knowing exactly what's going on or where the show is heading being a major gripe among antsy viewers -- ABC will now trot out the mystery thriller "Day Break" (9 PM ET/PT, Wdnesdays) for 13 weeks.

And guess what? It's maddening in its nonsensical complexity.

If any audience deserved 13 weeks of closed-ended programming as a form of therapy, it's "Lost" fans. But no. It's as if ABC said, we know you people -- you like confusion and intrigue and a whopping whodunit filled with ripping yarns, so here's a drama with no discernible rules.

Nothing like being typecast. Besides, it's one thing to want a complex story, it's something entirely different to be given a series that makes you feel like you're carrying around a box of red herrings and drinking absinthe all night long.

And yet -- here's the thing. "Day Break," which premieres tonight, is a lot of fun. It's fast-paced. It's different. Taye Diggs is superb -- he convincingly sells a premise you'll be too confused to really care about. But because Diggs is so good -- and, let's not kid ourselves here, unbelievably good looking and a man's man in the way that George Clooney is -- he keeps both sexes watching despite their better judgment. Also helping immensely here is Moon Bloodgood, who plays Diggs' girlfriend in the series and offsets much of the confusion in the two-hour pilot by appearing semi-regularly in her underwear.

How confusing could a series that is temporarily replacing the mother of all confusing shows, really be? For starters, "Day Break" is like "Groundhog Day" and yet it's not. See, in "Groundhog Day" one guy lives the same day over and over again. In "Day Break," Diggs plays Los Angeles Police Department Detective Brett Hopper, who has one tremendously bad (and confusing) day, when he wakes up to discover he's been arrested for the murder of the assistant district attorney. A series of unfortunate but explainable things happen to him and then he's jailed and, late at night, pulled from his cell and brought to what appears to be a rock quarry.Yep, a quarry. Of some sort.

You had us right up until the quarry thing. Totally following the narrative thread and then ... not.

It's here where "Day Break" temporarily becomes "The X-Files" and you're thinking, "Wha- ?" , but liking the oddness of it all, willing to go with it.

Anyway, at this point, Hopper is at the quarry, gets a needle stuck in his neck and nighty-night he goes. He wakes up to repeat his day again.

Only he doesn't. Not entirely. Different things happen on different days. While at the same time, old events repeat themselves.

You follow? For example, on the original bad day, he's getting a cup of coffee and helps a busy, annoying woman avoid getting hit by a bus. When he forgets to get coffee the next day -- wham. She's down.

And the bus arrives, day after day, at the same time. Which means he needs to remember his coffee. But here's where the problem comes in. That regularity exhibited by the bus doesn't apply anywhere else. Whole days can be different if he manipulates them (for example, running or driving away). Characters acting one way one day, may be completely different the next.

Now, it could be that what the producers are doing here is showing you bits of personality "Rashomon"-style -- except there's no way the series is smart enough to incorporate any "Rashomon"-esque techniques. It all seems to be made up on the fly. Which is fine because Diggs and Bloodgood and many of the supporting actors make the time fly by.

In the first hour.

This is a two-hour pilot.

So, in that second hour, when you think you've got the pattern down, it changes. It's one thing to suggest that Hopper can carry over physical effects from the previous day -- a kick in the ribs, a bullet in the shoulder. But the whole esoteric souffle begins to implode when the writers seemingly make up other rules along the way. For example, the starting and ending points, character overlap and continuity all operate in a world of their own. The people at the quarry act like they haven't seen him the second time, when we were led to believe they were somehow the puppet masters. Fine enough. But he's been "going to sleep" from his nightmare day by getting an injection in the neck from those people. Somewhere in hour two, that stops happening.

Oh, hell, you're not even reading anymore, are you? You're rushing over to Jon Carroll. Did you know Mr. Carroll pops up in the third hour of "Day Break"? (Just to clarify, it's not true that there's a third hour on Wednesday, it only feels like that.) Anyway, a week later, in the second episode -- hour three -- there's Carroll putting a needle into Diggs and reciting a cat column in his pajamas.

Wha-?

Exactly. It feels that weird.

Having watched all three hours, there's no point in sugarcoating what you'll find when and if you get there. A gigantic mess. What you will find is a mystery as complex and probably as fascinating as anything Stephen Hawking could dream up after a bloated Thanksgiving filled with L-tryptophan and tabs of acid disguised as characters from the "Teletubbies."

At some point, your head will explode. Especially if you're a "Lost" fan. Hey, maybe "Day Break" is some evil payback scheme from ABC. "Oh, you think 'Lost' is pointless and confusing? We've got a show that's 'Groundhog Day' but not!"

If tonight's pilot is sponsored by Advil, you'll know something's not right -- above and beyond the show.

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2006/11/15/DDGT1MC3OO1.DTL&type=printable

jim tressler

11-15-06, 03:47 PM

;) hrm.. well then I guess time warner will be adding nfl network then, because they already filled for a 2007 rate hike as a part of their franchise agreement - and cited programming costs as the reason!!! lol

The Business of TV
Pols' goal-lined stand
Cable, NFL spat hits fan
By Steven Zeitchek Variety Nov. 15, 2006

Time Warner Cable is crafting its own message, and has fired back by saying it would be forced to raise customer rates if it agreed to NFL Network carriage fees.
http://www.variety.com/index.asp?layout=print_story&articleid=VR1117953931&categoryid=14

fredfa

11-15-06, 03:49 PM

I don’t usually post rumored schedule changes, but Marc Berman is pretty well connectes. So in case tyou missed it at the top of the thread…..
(From Marc Berman’s Wednesday, Nov. 15, 2006, Programming Insider blog at Mediaweek.com )

“….Rumor has it that the just full-season-renewed Friday Night Lights will be moving to Sunday in midseason….”

http://pifeedback.com/eve/forums/a/tpc/f/63310451/m/30510202

This makes sense. Put “FNL” on Sunday and pair it with something equally classy, and maybe, just maybe, NBC can salvage the show.

fredfa

11-15-06, 04:06 PM

TV Notebook
More O.J….
Publisher says she considers new O.J. Simpson book `his confession'
San Jose Mercury News from The Associated Press Nov. 15, 2006

NEW YORK (AP) - In a deal that some media executives called revolting, O.J. Simpson plans a book and TV interview to discuss how, hypothetically, he could have killed his ex-wife and her friend -- a story his publisher considers ``his confession.''

Two weeks before the book, ``If I Did It,'' goes on sale, scorn was already being heaped Wednesday on Simpson, the publisher and Fox, which plans to air the Simpson interview in two parts Nov. 27 and 29.

Denise Brown, sister of Simpson's slain ex-wife, Nicole Brown Simpson, lashed out at the publisher for ``promoting the wrongdoing of criminals'' and commercializing abuse.

Judith Regan, whose ReganBooks imprint is publishing the book, declined to reveal further details of the book's contents.

``This is an historic case, and I consider this his confession,'' Regan told The Associated Press. She also refused to say what Simpson is being paid for the book but said he came to her with the idea.

The former football star was acquitted in 1995 of murdering his ex-wife and her friend Ron Goldman after a trial that became an instant cultural flashpoint.

He was later found liable for the deaths by in a civil wrongful-death suit filed by the Goldman family. In the years since, he has been mocked relentlessly by late-night comedians, particularly for his vow to hunt down the true killers.

Simpson has failed to pay the $33.5 million judgment against him in the civil suit. His NFL pension and his Florida home cannot legally be seized. He and the families of the victims have wrangled over the money in court for years.

• • • • • • • • • • •

• The complete AP story is here:

http://www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercurynews/entertainment/television/16019988.htm?template=contentModules/printstory.jsp

RemyM

11-15-06, 04:18 PM

This is one of the very rare cases where I almost hope for someone to make it known that he/she will lead a very public boycott of any advertiser who puts its commercials in the show.

On the other hand, perhaps a company should just put up a 30-second slide of its logo with a voiceover saying it has split a $500,000 dontaion between the family of Ron Goldman and a national battered women's group.

THAT would make a strong, strong statement and be a marvelous use of advertising $$$.

I can't imagine any advertiser would want to touch this thing, and if they do, they should be boycotted. All of the advertising inventory should be donated to groups who support battered women and victims rights to run PSA's.

fredfa

11-15-06, 05:06 PM

TV Notebook
O.J. —
Ick, Ick and More Ick
By Diane Holloway Austin American-Statesman in her TV blog Wednesday, November 15, 2006

Ick, ick and more ick.

Just when you thought TV — and maybe the entire pop culture world — couldn’t get any sleazier, along comes O.J. Simpson, squeezing out money (we don’t know how much) from Fox and book publisher Regan Books right before our eyes.

On Nov. 27 and 29, Simpson will splash across Fox and hit the book stores with his new alleged fantasy, “If I Did It,” in which he reiterates that he really didn’t kill his ex-wife, Nicole Brown Simpson, but … you get the drift.

“O.J. Simpson, in his own words, tells for the first time how he would have committed the murders if he were the one responsible for the crimes,” Fox said in a statement. “In the two-part event, Simpson describes how he would have carried out the murders he has vehemently denied committing for over a decade.”

How a TV network allegedly licensed for the public good can make these statements is anybody’s guess, but the sleaze goes on:

“This is an interview that no one thought would ever happen. It’s the definitive last chapter in the Trial of the Century,” Mike Darnell, executive vice president of alternative programming for Fox, said in a statement.

Simpson, you may recall, was acquitted of slashing his ex-wife and her friend Ron Goldman to death in 1994. The former football star was later found responsible in a wrongful death suit brought by the Goldman family. Simpson, who has yet to pay the $33.5 million settlement in that case, lives in Florida and occasionally tries to make a buck off his notoriety.

The Fox interview, shamelessly conducted by book publisher Judith Regan, hits the air the week the book goes on sale (Nov. 30). In an excerpt, Simpson talks about all the blood at the scene. Does this guy not remember that he has two children whose mother died at that scene?

I’ve never in my life begged people to stay away from a TV show, but I’m begging now. Maybe, just maybe, if the whole world ignores this sludge, it will never, ever happen again. If millions of curiosity seekers do tune in for O.J.’s bizarre ramblings, we can count on any number of sickening “events” in the future.

Trust me, we do NOT want to open that door.

‘Lost’ teases tonight

As fans continue to bombard ABC about the ridiculous decision to take “Lost” off the air until February, the network decided to try to appease us with a bunch of teases

The teases will begin during tonight’s two-hour debut of “Day Break,” the new serial drama starring Taye Diggs in a “Groundhog Day” meets “24” format.

Dubbed “Lost Moments,” these little teases will be scattered throughout “Day Break” episodes for the entire run of the new series.

Will this appease “Lost” fans or further tick them off? I’m betting on the latter. If ABC already has this new batch of “Lost” episodes from which to cull teases, why not just run the series in its entirety until it’s finished for the season?

http://www.austin360.com/blogs/content/shared-gen/blogs/austin/tvblog/

bphisig

11-15-06, 05:10 PM

I can't imagine any advertiser would want to touch this thing, and if they do, they should be boycotted. All of the advertising inventory should be donated to groups who support battered women and victims rights to run PSA's.
I can't imagine any VIEWER would want to touch this thing. It's programming at a whale-poop-on-the-bottom-of-the-ocean level. I can't believe it's actually going to be aired.

fredfa

11-15-06, 05:23 PM

Note: spoilers abound in this story. If you don't want to read them, please skip to the next post.

Critic’s Notebook
The laughs are on Thursday
By Verne Gay Newsday Staff Writer November 16, 2006

We in the critical trade used to throw so many spitballs at NBC's Thursday night lineup that we literally ran out of spit. We then reverted to rotten fruit - bananas, pears and the like - and when that supply dwindled, we went with rocks. Before long, there was nothing left to throw, but it hardly mattered anyway because there was nothing left to watch. Thursday night on NBC was just awful.

When "The Office" arrived, some of us nattering nabobs started to wonder: Could this be the beginning of a turnaround? But nooo: The spitballs had done their damage, along with some earlier and magnificently moronic program decisions that kicked in around 2003 ("The Apprentice"?! "Coupling"?! Oh, LORDY). Viewers declined to return.

For that reason, what I am about to say will probably be met with jeering dismissal but the facts must and ultimately will speak for themselves: (Thursday) night's new comedy block is the best one on an NBC Thursday slate since the fall of 1993, when "Seinfeld" was still Larry David's masterpiece and the 9:30 hammock position actually launched a winner ("Frasier").

(This week) may be a bit of a gimmick, to be sure - three "supersized" episodes of "My Name Is Earl," "The Office" and "30 Rock," which will all shrink back down by the time "Scrubs" arrives Nov. 30. But gimmicks can have a way of refocusing critical attention and maybe even viewer interest. In that spirit, here's a look at (Thursday) night's trio and just what makes them so damn good:

MY NAME IS EARL (8 PM ET/PT)

The setup: Sad-sack bros Earl (Jason Lee) and Randy (Ethan Suplee) notice just how hot it is outside - road-buckling hot - so they decide on task No. 26, which is to return that air conditioner they stole from Woody (Christian Slater, in a cameo). Problem is, Woody's an old stoner now living in a hippie commune with no use for the AC because he doesn't believe in electricity (all part of his trying to reduce his carbon footprint). He even lives in a house built of (mmm) dung.

Best stuff: Randy eats a homeopathic substance that he was supposed to rub on his body. This gives him particularly unsettling hallucinations - everyone he sees is rendered in stop-motion claymation - though to watch Joy (Jaime Pressly) and Darnell (Eddie Steeples) as rejects from a Wallace & Gromit short is to witness some of the dumbest - and funniest - scenes in "Earl's" two-season history.

Grade/overall assessment: B. "Earl" remains a tough sell to audiences this season though I can't begin to imagine why. For those who have slipped away, tonight's a good time to revisit. The episode's harmless, sweet and wholly inoffensive, while Slater's perhaps just a little too convincing as someone with a substance-abuse problem. Larger question for NBC: Is this the right companion for "The Office?"

THE OFFICE (8:40 PM ET/PT)

The setup: Finally, we have the long-awaited merger. The Stamford office has closed (budget issues and so forth) and the refugees from Connecticut must relocate to Scranton, where they are greeted by Michael Scott (Steve Carell) bearing welcome "goodie bags" stuffed with pencils and coupons. Meanwhile, Dwight Schrute (Rainn Wilson) is just a little too strung out. He wants Michael to fire someone, anyone, and he's worried about this new guy Andy (Ed Helms). Pam's (Jenna Fischer) looking forward to seeing Jim (John Krasinski) until she learns that Karen (Rashida Jones) is just a little too attentive to him.

Best stuff: Very hard to say, but let's see ... Michael's sublimely idiotic line to Karen? ("Wow! You're very exotic looking. Was your dad a GI?"). Or Andy's ruminations about building his power base ("I'm always thinking one step ahead, like a carpenter who makes stairs."). Or Michael's version of "Lazy Sunday" (to boost office morale) entitled "Lazy Scranton"? Or how about the facedown between Dwight and Andy in the elevator before the closing credits? Yes, I think I'll go with that one.

Grade/overview: A+. One of the best "Offices" ever. Instant classic. Brilliant. Enough said. Now, if only people will just start watching.

30 ROCK (9:20 PM ET/PT)

The setup: Jack Donaghy (Alec Baldwin) produces an internal video extolling the virtues of product integration, which gives Liz Lemon (Tina Fey) the idea of having him perform in a sketch on "The Girlie Show." Bad idea: Cool Jack is actually a basket case of nerves drenched in flop sweat, who needed dozens of takes just to produce the company video. Meanwhile, cast member Jenna DeCarlo (Jane Krakowski) is worried she's going to get canned while Liz and Pete (Scott Adsit) are no longer wondering about Tracy's (Tracy Morgan) sanity but whether he can read.

Best stuff: Again, a tough call, but Baldwin is extraordinary as the boss overcome with stage fright.

Grade/overall assessment: A+. "30 Rock" is a glory, a joy, a revelation, a miracle. I love this show. (Can you tell?) Now, if only people will just start watching.

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=8907207

timdgibson

11-15-06, 05:28 PM

This makes sense. Put “FNL” on Sunday and pair it with something equally classy, and maybe, just maybe, NBC can salvage the show.

If they were smart, they would have kept "American Dreams" and paired those 2 shows together for a really good family must see TV night. But you know, it's that whole thinking part.....

tim

fredfa

11-15-06, 05:31 PM

TV Notebook
Comcast to Launch New HD Channel
By James Hibberd Television Week November 15, 2006

Comcast is about to announce the creation of new high-definition cable channel combining content from its Versus and Golf Channel brands.

Beginning in January, the new network will simulcast Golf Channel programming by day and Versus (formerly OLN) content by night. Comcast, which owns both networks, plans to call the channel Golf Channel/Versus.

The channel will join Comcast's lineup of networks consisting of E!, Style, Golf Channel, Versus, G4 and regional sports outlets. Comcast has a commitment from DirecTV to start carrying the new channel some time next year. Comcast will gradually begin rolling out the new network on its own systems starting in January, a Versus executive said.

Golf Channel/Versus will represent an unusual entry among HD networks. Most cable brands launch either a simulcast HD network (such as ESPN and TNT), or a stand-alone channel that combines content from several brands (such as Discovery HD Theater and MTV's MHD).

By mixing content from two channels, yet airing as a simulcast during different times during the day, Golf Channel/Versus aims for the best of both worlds.

"We think this is the simplest, easiest and best way to go right now," said Marc Fein, senior VP of programming and production for Versus.

Mr. Fein said Comcast decided to combine the channels because that solution gives bandwidth-strapped carriers more incentive to offer the HD service—which is free to cable and satellite operators that currently run Versus and Golf Channel.

By running a simulcast feed, Comcast hopes to decrease viewer confusion, Mr. Fein said.

"If you want to watch the hockey game, you can see it in either standard definition or HD at the same time," he said.

Under the Versus brand, the channel will initially offer HD hockey, boxing, bull riding and field sports, which will air from 7 p.m. to midnight. Executives still haven't decided whether Versus's tentpole event, the Tour de France, will be available in HD, as the network relies on a feed from an overseas partner, Mr. Fein said.

"There have been good conversations; it is possible," Mr. Fein said.

Golf Channel programming will include an exclusive HD airing of the PGA Tour and hundreds of hours of play from other tournaments, and will run from noon to 7 p.m.

On Comcast's cable systems, the new channel will take the place of INHD 2, which is being combined with INHD in January after being slowly phased out on several systems.

TelevisionWeek's HD Newsletter first reported that INHD 2 might be shut down in July. (See story here.)

But INHD 2's owner, iN Demand Networks, which is partly owned by Comcast, has repeatedly denied the network was going away.

Last month, Rob Jacobson, iN Demand's president and CEO, told TVpredictions.com that the networks would be combined. iN Demand did not return a call seeking for comment.

http://www.tvweek.com/news.cms?newsId=11076

rebkell

11-15-06, 06:04 PM

What are mobisodes, how long are they, I don't have Sprint so I can't even get them, but I like the TV show Bones:

Fox, Sprint to Launch Bones Mobisodes
http://www.mediaweek.com/mw/news/networktv/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1003408555

fredfa

11-15-06, 06:07 PM

rebkell: They are brief bits, usually specially written, from the shows, featuring the actors and sometimes giving you background information not specifcally spelled out in the program itself.

rebkell

11-15-06, 06:29 PM

rebkell: They are brief bits, usually specially written, from the shows, featuring the actors and sometimes giving you background information not specifcally spelled out in the program itself.

Thanks, I take it brief means like a minute or two? I found some tardisodes online from Dr. who and they were like a minute or so. Reading the article I assumed they were mini shows, but I didn't really have any idea how long they might be.

fredfa

11-15-06, 06:43 PM

I think they tend to range between 30 seconds and two minutes.

rebkell

11-15-06, 07:15 PM

fredfa

11-15-06, 07:18 PM

Based on the ratings this year "Lost" has been steadily shedding viewers almost every week.

rebkell

11-15-06, 07:27 PM

Based on the ratings this year "Lost" has been steadily shedding viewers almost every week.

It's not surprising, there is no way to catch up, I don't remember the exact dates, but didn't the season 2 DVD come out pretty late, it takes a while to digest the whole thing, and it seemed to me that they shot themselves in the foot by not getting the season 2 DVD out sooner, so people could get caught up without just watching LOST ad nauseum to get caught up in time for the new season, I could even see them putting out a DVD for the first 6 Episodes during the holiday season. I don't know what kind of time frame is required for DVDs, but Heroes might not be a bad one to put out for the holidays, if not Heroes, maybe Jericho.

fredfa

11-15-06, 07:53 PM

Washington Noterbook
House Not Home for EchoStar
By Ted Hearn MultiChannel News Nov. 15, 2006

The House adjourned Wednesday until Dec. 5, ensuring that Congress won’t disturb the court injunction that requires EchoStar Communications to cut off distant network signals to 850,000 customers.

A federal court ordered EchoStar to stop selling distant feeds of ABC, CBS, NBC and Fox programming after determining that EchoStar had broken copyright law by selling the channels to hundreds of thousands of legally ineligible subscribers.

The Senate is expected to adjourn Thursday or Friday and not resume the lame-duck session until Dec. 5.

Congress could come to EchoStar’s rescue if enough disconnected subscribers put heat on their lawmakers. Distant network programming is popular because it provides rural viewers with access to network affiliates in New York and Los Angeles. Benefits include out-of-market sporting events and time-shifted primetime and late-night network fare.

It’s not clear whether EchoStar customers will rebel and create a fuss on Capitol Hill. Since EchoStar provides local TV stations in 170 markets, many of those cut off from distant network signals would be losing a convenience, not a necessity.

In a letter to House colleagues Wednesday, Rep. Chris Cannon (R-Utah) said EchoStar shouldn’t be rewarded for its “blatant disregard” of copyright law and shouldn’t be allowed “to use its customers as human shields in the debate on the legality of its operations.”

On Thursday, Sens. Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) and Wayne Allard (R-Colo.) are planning to introduce a bill that would assist EchoStar in the dispute, Leahy spokesman David Carle said Wednesday. In January, Leahy becomes chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee.

http://www.multichannel.com/index.asp?layout=articlePrint&articleid=CA6391939

archiguy

11-15-06, 08:07 PM

It's not surprising, there is no way to catch up, I don't remember the exact dates, but didn't the season 2 DVD come out pretty late, it takes a while to digest the whole thing, and it seemed to me that they shot themselves in the foot by not getting the season 2 DVD out sooner, so people could get caught up without just watching LOST ad nauseum to get caught up in time for the new season,........

A-men! That has to be the absolute stupidest decision they could possible have made. There's no justification for holding the DVD set so long as to make it nearly impossible to digest before the new season starts. If they want to bring new fans "into the tent", that's certainly not the way to do it. Morons. Clearly, none of those guys involved in that decision has any business sense whatsoever, and the show has suffered for it.

fredfa

11-15-06, 09:00 PM

The idea is to maximize the advertising and promotion push just before the TV season begins.

It makes some sense -- with shows that aren't serials. But with serials, I agree that a longer lead time would be helpful in corralling new viewers.

fredfa

11-15-06, 09:03 PM

TV Notebook
'Class' gets an extension from Eye
CBS to order additional episodes
By Josef Adalian Variety.com Nov. 15, 2006

CBS isn't ready to dismiss "The Class."

Eye is close to ordering additional episodes of the half-hour comic-sudser from exec producers David Crane and Jeffrey Klarik. Kelly Kahl, the net's senior exec VP of program planning, let the news slip at a Wednesday lunch confab in Gotham sponsored by the International Radio and Television Society.

Warner Bros. TV and CBS are still hammering out details of the episode order, which means it's possible the Eye could greenlight a couple of episodes less than the usual back nine commitment.

CBS might not need a full season of "The Class" in part because the net is said to have high hopes for "Rules of Engagement," its midseason comedy starring David Spade, Oliver Hudson and Patrick Warburton. Latter skein seems a natural for the Eye's Monday comedy block.

While "The Class" hasn't lived up to pre-season expectations that it might be a breakout hit, skein has actually retained a solid percentage of its lead-in since moving behind the Eye's red-hot "How I Met Your Mother."

This is despite facing brutal competish from NBC's "Deal or No Deal" and ESPN's earlier-starting "Monday Night Football." The problem is that CBS has generally seen its 8:30 p.m. laffers improve on their lead-ins.

http://www.variety.com/article/VR1117954000.html?categoryid=14&cs=1

flint350

11-15-06, 09:31 PM

This decision by Fox on the OJ show is beyond tasteless and sleazy (and I like Fox). I don't recall the exact details of the civil case settlement/judgment - but I would hope that any money paid to that murdering bastard for this slime-fest of a "documentary" would immediately be impounded and given to Simpson's victims' families. Sadly, I doubt that's what will occur. I have really lost respect for Fox in sinking to this new low in programming. Giving this guy another 15 minutes of fame is beyond shameless. And the possibility that it may fund his continued first-class travel/hunt for the "real killers" on every expensive country club golf course in the country is abominable.

rebkell

11-15-06, 09:33 PM

Fred, you've got Bones listed as moving to Fridays in January, is that still the plan, if you know?

fredfa

11-15-06, 09:56 PM

I'll have to check on "Bones". That was the plan.....

DoubleDAZ

11-15-06, 10:25 PM

fredfa

11-16-06, 01:02 AM

If you read Ray Richmond’s humorous report on his SD effort to get HDNet and report on the premiere of Dan Rather’s new show (So Maybe That 'HD' Part Stands For 'Highly Doubtful') --you can see it here: //www.pastdeadline.com/.
But Mark Cuban also read it. And, to his credit, Ray posted Mark’s reaction:

Mark Cuban, the owner of the Dallas Mavericks and founder of the fledgling HDNet digital subscription service, took some umbrage with my failure to have a clue about the fact that I'd need a high definition television set and high definition digital box to watch his high definition network (who'd a thunk it?). In hindsight, perhaps it's me who needs lessons in modern media and technology rather than my cable company (see previous post). I still say, however, that it shouldn't be that tough to see Dan Rather.

I thought you could still view HDNet on a regular TV without an HD digital upgrade, you merely couldn't watch it in high def. Wrong. Oh well. Live and learn. The hard way.

Here's Mr. Cuban's caustic but pointed missive, posted just minutes ago:

"I think you have it wrong Ray. What kind of publication, that supposedly covers media, does supposedly complete coverage of new media, writes about the hyper growth of HDTV sales and the impact of HDTV home theaters on the movie business, and for whom the movie and TV industry is their focus:

"A - Isn't smart enough to check to see if the person they assign even owns an HDTV and subscribes to HD Programming

"B - Has a columnist that is so out of touch neither he or his employer consider the $460 dollars it would take to get an HDTV set worth the money.

"You missed a great show by Dan Rather. In fact, given you are watching every show in SD, you are missing a lot of great TV done better.

"And just think, all (of) the discussion going on now about Blu Ray vs HD DVD, PS3 vs XBox and how they impact the industry you write about. You have absolutely no earthly clue.

"I'm shocked."

Posted by: Mark Cuban | November 15, 2006 at 12:47 PM

I thought of e-mailing Mark back to ask him if he could help me land a Playstation 3 system, but I didn't have the nerve. Instead, I sent him this:

"Mark:

"Thanks so much for your e-mail. It's my first ever from a billionaire. I really appreciate it.

"You make a good point. In this rapidly changing media environment, I'm clearly kind of a dumbbell for not realizing what it took in advance to watch HDNet. I will come clean about this fact on a follow-up post straightaway.

"Ray Richmond

"P.S.: I'd still love to see a copy of DAN RATHER REPORTS if you've got one."

http://www.pastdeadline.com/

fredfa

11-16-06, 01:52 AM

HDTV Notebook
Versus to Offer High-Def Channel in January
By John Consoli Media Week Nov. 15, 2006

Comcast-owned cable network Versus is launching a high-definition channel in January 2007 that will offer golf programming from Comcast's Golf Channel from noon to 7 p.m. and programming from Versus from 7 p.m. to noon. Cable operators who carry both Versus and the Golf Channel will be offered the new high-definition channel for free. Initially, the channel will be carried on all Comcast systems and a deal has been done with DirecTV.

The new channel will offer all National Hockey League games carried by Versus in high definition. The games currently do not air on Versus in high definition and the NHL game of the week on Versus airs in high definition on INHD through an agreement with Versus.

The programming airing on the new HD channel will air simultaneously on either the Golf Channel or Versus. From the Golf Channel, it will include live golf tournament coverage, including the PGA, while, in addition to hockey, programming from Versus offered in HD will include boxing, professional bull riding, and assorted hunting and fishing shows.

Plans now call for the Tour de France to be upconverted to high definition to air on the new channel, but negotiations are planned to try to get a pure high-definition feed.

http://www.mediaweek.com/mw/news/recent_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1003408626

HDTVChallenged

11-16-06, 02:06 AM

"A - Isn't smart enough to check to see if the person they assign even owns an HDTV and subscribes to HD Programming

"B - Has a columnist that is so out of touch neither he or his employer consider the $460 dollars it would take to get an HDTV set worth the money.

Then again ... I've yet to see an HD Cable/Sat STB that can't output an HD channel at 480i, which makes the incident even stranger. Could it be a case of a clueless customer service rep? ... Nah ;)

fredfa

11-16-06, 02:19 AM

TV Review
'Dan Rather Reports'
Lowdown on War Veterans, Seasoned Anchor in High-Def
By Virginia Heffernan The New York Times November 16, 2006

When it comes right down to it, one solid commercial-free hour is a lot of television. And “Dan Rather Reports” on HDNet is a lot of high-definition television news. It’s also a lot of high-definition Dan Rather.

Still, the premiere on Tuesday of “Dan Rather Reports” on Mark Cuban’s new digital cable network was unusually compelling, perhaps because it seemed like such an onslaught.

In other words, in case you miss Mr. Rather in the first frame, there he is again in the second one, and the third, and fourth, and so on; it’s the same with his voice in the narration. “Dan Rather Reports” is his show through and through: he’s a producer, the host, the anchor, all the correspondents, the Andy Rooney and the Katie Couric.

For that matter, he’s also the Jay Leno, the Tyra Banks and the Ellen DeGeneres. Can he really and truly make more than one episode of these?

The theme of the series premiere is “Coming Home,” as in returning from war, though the show’s star veteran is — well, you guessed it. Mr. Rather doesn’t have to spell out how seriously he takes a nation’s obligation to remembering its greatest heroes, though, as he says, caring for those heroes can sometimes be “extensive and expensive.” Uh, yeah.

Mr. Rather visits L. Tammy Duckworth, a retired Army major who was shot down in Iraq while flying a Black Hawk helicopter. She lost both legs, and her right-leg prosthesis alone costs $100,000. Ms. Duckworth is bright, self-assured, beautiful, patriotic, impressive; she’s also a Democrat and critic of the Department of Veterans Affairs. She’s perfect for “Dan Rather Reports,” which so far seems to favor Democrats who love America. (Ms. Duckworth just lost a close Congressional race in Illinois.)

Mr. Rather also interviews a conscientious objector, a veteran with battle fatigue, a Cuban-born combatant who joined the Marines before he had United States citizenship and other figures sympathetic to a left-leaning audience.

The individual stories are powerful, and given space to develop without much interference. You realize how effective it can be to let documentary pieces cluster around a theme, instead of mixing hard news with lighter fare in the standard newsmagazine way.

Here viewers will emerge with a better sense of how soldiers gear up for each new tour in Iraq, what esprit de corps is like after three and a half years at war and what injured soldiers currently expect when they come home.

Sure, these solemn lessons are imparted by Mr. Rather, who manages to smuggle in the odd, disconcerting Ratherism: something about “tighter than Springsteen’s headband.” And plainly this newsman believes he (above all maybe) deserves extensive and expensive fanfare, his due as a decorated officer who served his nation.

But at least his narcissism is energetic. Mr. Rather does not rest on his laurels. “Dan Rather Reports” is a commendably entrepreneurial undertaking, as are his other what-the-hey ventures, including his “Daily Show” appearance during the recent midterm election night.

In other words, instead of waiting to be called to give commencement speeches or appear at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, he’s pushing for interviews, flying to small towns, explaining to everyone what HDNet is, getting into makeup, recording sound, writing scripts and generally making broadcast news. And he’s doing it at 75, when most of us would rather be delivering our own pompous wisdom on a front porch somewhere, without television cameras, high- or low-def, anywhere in sight.

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/11/16/arts/television/16heff.html?_r=1&oref=slogin&ref=television&pagewanted=print

fredfa

11-16-06, 02:25 AM

The TV Column
Touchdown!
Disco Ball Goes to Emmitt Smith
By Lisa de Moraes Washington Post Staff Writer Thursday, November 16, 2006; C01

Three-time Super Bowl champ Emmitt Smith took home the Cheesetastic Disco Ball Trophy last night to become the most successful football player ever to compete on ABC's hit "Dancing With the Stars."

Last season's token athlete, former San Francisco 49er Jerry Rice, made it all the way to the final two, but in the end sanity prevailed and viewers voted to award the trophy to Jessica Simpson's former brother-in-law, Drew Lachey of boy band 98 Degrees.

This time around, however, the sports hero won after 10 grueling weeks of competition, though he was not the better dancer of the final two. Mario Lopez was -- though not by as much as you'd think.

Emmitt was, however, the only actual amateur dancer left in the competition, and I don't care how many times that Samantha co-host chick says otherwise.

"You do some moves that are even difficult for some professionals and you're so good, sometimes it's easy to forget you're actually an actor and you're not a professional dancer -- did you ever think you would get to this level?" she gushed last night at Lopez, the hunky Animal Planet show host, former "Saved by the Bell" actor and -- we cannot emphasize this enough -- "Kids Incorporated" hoofer.

"No way!" Lopez said on cue. "Just like you said, Samantha, I'm just an actor and a host."

Lopez and partner Karina Smirnoff re-performed the freestyle dance to "It Takes Two" that brought down the house the night before and led judges to tie up their votes for each contestant. Smith and partner Cheryl Burke redid one of their better dances, but it wasn't in the same league.

But, what did that matter, the votes were already in.

"It's awesome!" Smith shouted when his win was announced in the final minutes of the heavily padded hour. Surprisingly, he did not shout out that he was going to Disneyland -- ABC is owned by Disney.

He did, however, heap praise on Burke, who is a two-time winner, having been Lachey's partner for the show's second edition. Think male celebs negotiating to participate in the fourth edition of the series are all demanding Burke for their partner?

Smith also had nice things to say about Lopez, calling him a "true gentleman," while Lopez graciously said, "This whole journey was unbelievable" and dance partner "Karina the most unbelievable person."

But before that moment, we got to see repeat appearances by all nine contestants who'd been booted from this edition of "Dancing." Has there ever been a stiffer dancer onstage than Tucker Carlson?

Best moment of the show came when Sara Evans -- Tom DeLay's candidate of choice, who left the show abruptly when she filed for divorce, claiming her husband had cheated on her with the nanny, watched porn in front of the kid and stockpiled nude snaps of his excited self -- came out, dancing and prancing in a cowboy hat, cowboy boots, low-cut top and very short blue-fringy skirt to "These Boots Are Made for Walking":

You keep saying you've got something for me.
Something you call love, but confess.
You've been a messin' where you shouldn't have been a messin'
And now someone else is gettin' all your best.
These boots are made for walking, and that's just what they'll do
One of these days these boots are gonna walk all over you.

Yee-haw!

During last night's final episode, NFL Hall of Famer Troy Aikman promised in a taped bit that if his former Dallas Cowboys teammate won, "I don't think any of us are going to give him a hard time about that."

We'll see about that.

The hit series, which pairs the formerly famous with professional dance partners, had churned up an average audience of nearly 27 million viewers for its final performance broadcast Tuesday -- the most watched telecast on all of TV this season to date.

That's right, bigger than the supermarket shootout on "Desperate Housewives."

Bigger than Mr. Eko's death on "Lost."

Bigger than the Manning Bowl on "Sunday Night Football."

Bigger than Madonna on "Oprah."

Bigger than Katie's debut on "CBS Evening News."

"Dancing," in fact, pasodobled ABC to its biggest Tuesdays, without sports, in six years.

And, because we know you want to compare: In the most recent edition of "American Idol," the final night of competition clocked about 32 million viewers in May.

Hours before last night's Cheesetastic Disco Ball Trophy Ceremony, the two contestants and their professional dance partners met with the queen. Oprah.

We'd been promised Oprah would be sure to get to the bottom of juicy reports that Lopez was dating his dance partner.

Here's how that went:

Oprah: We heard rumors you and Karina Smirnoff are dating. Is that true?

Lopez: They are always slick about their editing; at the end of the day you have to remember it's a reality show. I should be so lucky, but she's just a strict partner-slash-teacher.

Which explains that footage of him necking with Smirnoff -- the editors made him do it.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/11/15/AR2006111501397_pf.html

fredfa

11-16-06, 04:09 AM

TV Notebook
Simpson to tell how he could have killed pair
A planned TV interview and book release this month spur outrage from the victims' families and others
By Robin Abcarian and Martin Miller Los Angeles Times Staff Writers November 16, 2006
(Times staff writers Greg Krikorian, Matea Gold, Paul Lieberman and Maura Dolan contributed to this report.}

The two abiding emotions that characterized the O.J. Simpson double-murder case — revulsion and fascination — surfaced again this week when, just in time for November television sweeps, Simpson revealed that he will participate in a two-part Fox television special and release a book that will address how he could have killed his ex-wife, Nicole Brown Simpson, and her friend Ronald Lyle Goldman.

"If I Did It" is to be released Nov. 30 by Regan, an imprint of HarperCollins, which is owned by Rupert Murdoch's News Corp. Another division of News Corp, the Fox network, will air a two-part interview with Simpson, conducted by his publisher, Judith Regan, on Nov. 27 and Nov. 29. In the book and the interviews, according to a statement from HarperCollins, Simpson will give a "bone-chilling account of the night of the murders," which took place June 12, 1994.

"I'm going to tell you a story you've never heard before, because no one knows this story the way I know it," Simpson writes in the publisher's release. "I want you to forget everything you think you know about that night, because I know the facts better than anyone."

As condemnation flowed from the victims' families, publishers, broadcasters, bloggers and others involved in the sensational criminal case, Regan defended her decision to publish the book.

"It's not fiction," she said Wednesday evening at a dinner for the National Book Awards in New York. As to whether Simpson would agree with that, she replied, "I don't know." She sidestepped questions about whether he had approached her and how he might be paid. But she acknowledged the torrent of criticism already directed at the joint television-book project.

"I think the media has spun it in the wrong direction," Regan said. "When they see the special, and when they read the book and hear about why I did it, why I think this is an important moment, I think they'll have a different viewpoint."

Simpson, who was acquitted of the murder charges, was found responsible for the killings in a subsequent civil trial. The televised criminal trial deeply divided the country, often along racial lines; changed the way crime scenes are handled; and spawned a new category of TV personality — the courtroom legal analyst.

One such pundit, Dan Abrams, who provided legal analysis on the murder case for Court TV and "The Today Show," called the former football star's willingness to undertake the project "vintage O.J. Simpson."

"My guess is that there's more talk of golf and his kids than there is about how the killer may have committed this crime," said Abrams, now general manager of MSNBC. "I think it will probably do pretty well, because I do think there's still a fascination with him. But I don't think it's going to be a blockbuster night the way it would have been 10 years ago. I think there's a little O.J. fatigue."

Others familiar with the tragic public soap opera also said that little, if any, new information was likely to come to light in a case that has spawned exhaustive coverage and speculation and generated scores of books, television programs and even reenactments. In the past, even Simpson has speculated about his possible guilt. "Let's say I committed this crime," he told Esquire magazine in 1998. "Even if I did do this, it would have to have been because I loved her very much, right?"

The Brown family expressed outrage. "It's unfortunate that Simpson has decided to awaken a nightmare that we have painfully endured and worked so hard to move beyond," said Nicole's sister Denise Brown in a statement. "We hope Ms. Regan takes full accountability for promoting the wrongdoing of criminals and leveraging this forum and the actions of Simpson to commercialize abuse."

Their view was echoed by Fred Goldman, the father of Ron Goldman, who has continued to pursue collection of the $33.5-million judgment that was levied in 1997 against Simpson by a civil jury. To date, the family has only been paid a couple of thousand dollars in proceeds from items seized from the former football star and sold at auction. According to Daniel Petrocelli, who represented the Goldmans in the civil trial, the debt — with interest — has grown to nearly $40 million. Petrocelli doubts that the Goldman family will receive any of the money Simpson will earn from the project.

"It is an all-time low for television," Goldman said. "To imagine that a major network would put a murderer on TV to have him tell how he would murder the mother of his children and my son is beyond comprehension." Goldman said he thinks the outrage should extend to the entire Fox network. "Send a message to Fox that if Fox believes their viewers want this kind of trash on television, they must not think very highly of their viewers," he said.

Fox television executives declined to comment on the broadcast.

Two weeks ago, in his most recent attempt to collect the debt, Goldman was rebuffed in a Santa Monica courtroom when he sought control over the rights to Simpson's name, image and likeness.

Goldman's current attorney, Jonathan Polak, said he plans to appeal the ruling. He expressed indignation that Simpson could profit from the very slaying that he has long denied committing, and denounced those who would profit from Simpson's story.

From a legal perspective, experts said, even if Simpson confessed to the double murder, he could not be tried again. Under the legal concept of double jeopardy, a person may not be charged with a crime for which he has already been acquitted.

The controversy and attendant publicity may guarantee what Fox hoped for all along — big ratings at a critical period when advertising rates are being determined. Media observers likened the move to ABC's 2003 interview with Michael Jackson about allegations of child molestation, which drew 27 million viewers.

"This is an old-fashioned sweeps stunt pure and simple," said Brad Adgate, research director for the ad-buying firm Horizon Media. "There's going to be a high curiosity factor to watch it."

And despite the controversy, media observers believe that the network will have little trouble selling ads. NBC was approached regarding a potential Simpson interview about a year ago, according to a network spokeswoman, but it was deemed "inappropriate" for the network. Meanwhile, a CBS spokesman was "unaware" of any Simpson pitch at that network. ABC did not immediately return phone calls.

The case's reverberations are still felt in the world of crime scene investigation. Michael Baden, the renowned forensic pathologist who worked for Simpson's defense team, said that investigators in the case learned important lessons about keeping such scenes intact and not moving bodies in ways that destroy evidence. He also said the trial gave credence to and even helped increase funding for DNA research and evidence.

And though most people know what they think about Simpson's guilt or innocence, some questions about the slayings linger. If Simpson is truly confessing to the crimes, perhaps he will solve some of the biggest mysteries: Why didn't those gloves fit? And what became of the murder weapon, a knife?

http://www.calendarlive.com/tv/cl-me-simpson16nov16,0,3251538,print.story?coll=cl-tv-features

keenan

11-16-06, 04:12 AM

Perhaps Fox is purposely trying the shine the light back on you-know-who so that the question of who will profit from his stinking book will find it's way into national discourse. Of course, if this country had any morals left, the show would not be watched and the book would not be bought. I truly hope both the network and publisher lose money on this deal.

Keenan, it's nice to know you, I won't even be recording this garbage. :)
Me neither, in fact I wasn't even going to comment on it, but the whole idea just disgusts me, I simply can't believe FOX would put this crap on the air. FOX has reached new lows for sleaze. But hey, freedom of speech and all that means that there will be a lot things that a lot people won't like, but, the alternative is worse.

We need Dexter to pay a visit...

Michael252

11-16-06, 09:03 AM

Advertisers believe that the older people get the more rigid they become. Thus they are not as liable to change brands or try something new. And the younger viewers -- seen as still more likely to change brands -- is seen as far more desireable.

They also believe that the younger demo sets the trends.

In certain areas (like the Thursday night commercials for movies opening the next day) they are clearly on to something. But then, to some extent, advertisers are speaking to themsleves -- or the hip, with-it people they'd like to be. The vast majority of them (at least below the executive suites) are in their 20s and 30s.

They think everyone yearns to be rich, sexy, young and live in New York or California. To them the rest of the population is just along for the ride.

In my mind an awful lot of advertising seems to be aimed at impressing the industry -- not in selling product. But that is just me -- and, I suspect, michael, you too.

Thanks, Fredfa, for your explanation.

I guess, in a way, it makes sense. Admittedly, I wouldn't mind being rich and sexy (as for age? I kinda like where I am). But it's too bad that all those advertising decision-makers are missing a vast opportunity. Not to mention contributing to taking away, or low-rating, some of the best shows on TV.

DoubleDAZ

11-16-06, 09:07 AM

We need Dexter to pay a visit...Man, do we ever. :)
If the Goldman's and Brown's end up getting some of the profits, maybe it'll not be for naught, but that still won't even make a dent in their loss. :(

fredfa

11-16-06, 10:00 AM

Nielsen Dayparts update
Without Couric, “Today” actually gains
So much for the tumble many foresaw
By Toni Fitzgerald MediaLifeMagazine.com staff writer Nov. 16, 2006

When "Today" co-host Katie Couric announced she was leaving NBC’s long-dominant morning show for the CBS "Evening News," it seemed a big shakeup in morning show ratings could follow.

Couric had been there for more than a decade, and it seemed doubtful the show could remain so dominant without her, especially with ABC's "Good Morning America" long gaining and a former "Today" executive producer joining CBS's "Early Show."

But nearly six months after Couric left, not only is “Today” still the dominant morning news program, it’s actually gaining over this time last year, and it’s the only morning program to do so.

For the week ended Nov. 5, “Today” averaged 6.2 million total viewers, its best performance in nearly two months. That was 200,000 better than the show did on the same week last year, and 1 million ahead of “GMA.” Last year the gap between the two was 700,000.

Over the last eight weeks, “Today” is averaging 5.83 million total viewers, up 3 percent over last year’s 5.67 million. That’s not a big improvement, but it’s a big accomplishment for a show that lost a co-host many consider the most popular in morning show history.

So why is “Today” gaining? There are several reasons, one of which is that Meredith Vieira, Couric’s replacement, has made a seamless transition. She and co-host Matt Lauer are establishing a friendly if sometimes overly gooey rapport, a marked difference from the tense atmosphere in Couric’s final months.

Too, Vieira is herself extremely popular. She gained a following as the most moderate and relatable co-host on ABC’s “The View,” her pre-“Today” gig. And ratings for her syndicated game show, “Who Wants to be a Millionaire,” are up double-digit percentages this year, which many attribute to her new “Today” following.

Meanwhile, Couric's popularity had been on the decline, as noted by her Q score, the Market Evaluations number used to track celebrity popularity. Hers had declined by almost half over the past few years.

“Today” has also been helped by a few recent high-profile interviews, including Vieira’s chat with Madonna, which aired Nov. 1 and 2, focusing on the star’s controversial adoption of a Malawi boy.

Yet another thing that may be helping “Today’s” ratings is NBC’s improved primetime performance. Last year at this time the network was an entire rating point below where it sits now among adults 18-49. Just as “GMA” saw gains when ABC’s primetime numbers jumped two years ago, NBC may now be seeing the same.

Finally, it’s entirely possible that, instead of “GMA” and “Early Show” stealing “Today’s” viewers, as many expected, the opposite is happening. “GMA” and “Early Show” are both down compared with last season.

“GMA” has averaged 4.88 million total viewers over the last eight weeks, down 6 percent from last year’s 5.21 million. And “Early Show” has dipped 4 percent, from 2.76 million to 2.65 million.

In the end, it all speaks to a reality about TV news: For all the chatter about who's sitting in the anchor's chair, it's the show itself that draws viewers and keeps them.

Meanwhile, for the week ended Nov. 5, “Today” led comfortably with 6.2 million viewers and a 4.8 rating in households, ahead of “GMA” at 5.2 million viewers and 4.0 rating and “Early” at 2.7 million viewers and a 2.1 rating. "Today's" Halloween episode did especially well, averaging 6.68 million viewers.

Elsewhere in dayparts, NBC’s “Meet the Press” won both total viewers and key demographic adults 25-54 with 3.86 million viewers and a 1.1 rating in that demographic. ABC’s “This Week with George Stephanopoulos” came in second with 2.44 million viewers and a 0.7 among adults 25-54, while CBS’s “Face the Nation” garnered 2.43 million total viewers and a 0.7 among adults 25-54. Fox’s “News Sunday” was last with 1.12 million total viewers and a 0.4 in the key demo.

In late night, NBC’s “Tonight Show with Jay Leno” beat CBS’s “Late Show with David Letterman,” with Leno drawing 5.5 million total viewers to Letterman’s 4.3 million. ABC’s “Nightline” brought in 3.3 million viewers. In late-late night programming, NBC’s “Late Night with Conan O’Brien” beat CBS’s “The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson” with a total audience of 2.5 million to Ferguson’s 2.1 million. ABC’s “Jimmy Kimmel Live” was watched by 1.7 million while NBC’s “Last Call with Carson Daly” had 1.6 million viewers.

CBS once again won total viewers in daytime drama and full daytime, but was unable to overtake ABC in the key women 18-49 demographic. In daytime dramas, CBS had 4.05 million viewers and a 1.4 rating in the demo, versus ABC’s 1.6 rating and 3.06 million viewers. NBC had 2.49 million viewers and a 1.4. In full daytime, CBS drew 4.29 million viewers and a 1.3 rating in women 18-49, while ABC managed a 1.6 in the demo and 3.10 million viewers. NBC had 2.49 million viewers and a 1.5 rating.

In syndication, ESPN’s regular-season football dominated with an 11.2 household rating, beating out syndication chart-topping perennials “Wheel of Fortune” at 8.5, “Oprah Winfrey Show” at 6.9, “Jeopardy” at 6.7 and “Entertainment Tonight” at 5.4.

For the week ended Nov. 12, including election day, “NBC Nightly News with Brian Williams” enjoyed a comfortable lead over the other evening newscasts, drawing 9.34 million viewers. “ABC World News with Charles Gibson” drew 8.98 million viewers, showing improvement over the same week last year, while “CBS Evening News with Katie Couric” had 7.74 million viewers.

http://www.medialifemagazine.com/artman/publish/article_8575.asp